I'm really conflicted about this. RBC is my bank! -- (edited)
Posted by
mud
Sep 12 '23, 10:34
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Mark Ruffalo, Adam McKay, Joaquin Phoenix, Julianne Moore, Rachel McAdams & More Sign Open Letter Calling On TIFF To Drop RBC Sponsor
By Anthony D'Alessandro
September 12, 2023 10:13am
First the Toronto Film Festival loses its prime sponsor, Bell, and now this.
Hollywood stars including Mark Ruffalo, Julianne Moore, Rachel McAdams, Edward Norton, Joaquin Phoenix and 200-plus filmmakers including Adam McKay and Kat Coiro have signed an open letter to TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey blasting the fest’s other primary sponsor Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) as being a “world-leading enabler of fossil fuel extraction” and the bank’s “indiscriminate enabling of projects” on Indigenous lands without consent.
In addition, the open letter made public Tuesday accuses RBC of snubbing leaders of impacted nations as well as BIPOC leaders. You can read the letter below.
Deadline has reached out to TIFF for comment and we’ll update accordingly.
The festival is passionate about its support of Indigenous and Native Americans. Before every screening, Bailey, both at the podium and in a video that plays before every movie, provides respect to them, reflecting that the festival is taking place on their land.
The letter was organized by filmmakers Elza Kephart (writer-director, Slaxx) and Jose Luis Guiterrez.
“Filmmakers have spoken: we want oil & gas out of our industry. Now TIFF must decide between one particularly problematic sponsor and its community,” said the Québec-based Kephart.
“TIFF celebrates socially conscious films and elevates Indigenous filmmakers. That is a good thing, but it is incoherent with teaming up with Canada’s worst offenders on social issues,” added Chief Na’Moks of the Wet’suwet’en Nation, whose lands are being destroyed by the RBC-supported CGL pipeline, and whose people have been subject to exceptional levels of police violence for resisting, attracting the ire of the UN.
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