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Keira Knightley, Cara Delevingne, and Naomie Harris Call for Screen Industry to Establish New Harassment Reporting Body
Besides the stars, 25 well-known figures and celebrities have signed an open letter to companies calling for a final action by lending in financial support for the endeavor.
Trigger Warning: The article contains references to bullying, harassment and assault.
A-listers Keira Knightley, Cara Delevingne, and Naomie Harris among others have united on a singular vision to develop a new functional body that oversees creative standards in the screen industry. Set to launch next year, the body will collect reports of questionable behavior, including harassment and bullying, and also work with the police to aid the victims or survivors.
Besides the stars, 25 well-known figures and celebrities have signed an open letter to companies calling for final action by lending financial support for the endeavor. Multiple U.K. bodies have already shown their support for the new harassment reporting body.
A-listers and industry bodies join hands to bring change in creative standards
Be it film, music, theater, media houses, or fashion, the Creative Industry Independent Standards Body (CIISA) seeks to become a “single point of accountability for the creative industries” that will enable victims or survivors to report “behaviors of concern,” per a statement to Variety by Interim CEO Jen Smith.
While an encouraging amount of support has been poured into the CIISA, the members are now urging the stakeholders to lay down financial commitments to bring the idea to reality.
In 2025, the CIISA is set to be officially launched and is currently gathering funds to support its initial two-year operation. Joining forces with Delevingne, Knightley, and Harris, other notable personalities like Rebecca Ferguson, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Ruth Wilson, Susanna White, Emerald Fennell, and Gemma Chan have also added their names to the open letter endorsing CIISA. Interestingly, Zelda Perkins, the assistant of film producer and convicted sex offender Harvey Weinstein, has also signed the letter, as reported by Variety.
The British industry organizations that have stepped in to support the CIISA include the BAFTA, the Society of London Theatre, and U.K. Theatre and U.K. Music.
What is the CIISA’s purpose?
The Creative Industry Independent Standards Body was formed after U.K’s MeToo movement made waves backed by persistent support from Time’s Up U.K., a non-profit organization that envisions promoting workplace safety for everyone. The CIISA will allow anyone in the industry or outside to report bullying, harassment, and assault within the screen industry and hand over cases to the police when needed.
However, the CIISA also aims to tackle reported issues that may not fall within the unlawful acts but are inappropriate in the workplace. A part of the open letter presented on the official site of the CIISA states, “CIISA recognises that not everything can be solved with just one intervention but as bullying and harassment claims in the industry continue abound, we believe it is a very necessary part of a range of interventions driving for much-needed change.”
It also acknowledged other bodies and policies in place that have protected industry people from the issues all these years. However, the CIISA claimed that they will not duplicate the policies and have designed new standards to keep the screen industry “safe and secure.”
The full list of signatures are:
- Alexei Kaye Campbell
- Alison Oliver
- Archie Madekwe
- Cara Delevingne
- Carey Mulligan
- Dominic Cooke
- Emerald Fennell
- Fenella Woolgar
- Gabe Bisset-Smith
- Gemma Chan
- Guy Remmers
- Jessica Knappett
- Jonny Sweet
- Joshua McGuire
- Keira Knightley
- Krysty Wilson-Cairns
- Kharmel Cochrane
- Naomie Harris
- Ophelia Lovibond
- Rebecca Ferguson
- Rob Cawsey
- Ruth Wilson
- Sule Rimi
- Susanna White
- Zelda Perkins
- Barbara Broccoli
- Dame Heather Rabbatts
- Krishnendu Majumdar
- Phoebe Waller Bridge
- Lilly Adefope
- Ewan Mitchell
Disclaimer: If you need support or know someone who is struggling with domestic violence or assault or abuse, please reach out to your nearest mental health specialist, NGO or speak to someone about it. There are several helplines available for the same
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