By Matthew Moorcroft

SAG-AFTRA has officially gone on strike. This is a big deal for several reasons, the least of which being that this is the first time both of the guilds are on strike since 1960. This is turning out to be a watershed moment in the industry in the ongoing fight for AI protections, streaming residuals, and just general pay raises, and it’s an important fight that I support wholeheartedly. As somebody who grew up in a union family – my mom is a union member for her workplace – and knows how important labor rights are in a world that has had a growing wage gap and impossibly high interest and inflation rates, I was already pre-disposed to be passionate about this stuff. But as somebody who is now technically in this industry – as well as has a passionate for filmmaking and the art form in general – there is now a personal stake here.

Until the strike is completed and fair wages are given out to the actors and writers, reviews of new releases on this page will STOP. While the guidelines from SAG-AFTRA in regards to this have been of much debate in the community over the past several weeks, I personally do not feel comfortable publicly reviewing and possibly promoting new releases even unintentionally on my platform. As somebody who isn’t in the guilds, it’s the least I can do to show my solidarity with the striking performers and creatives who are just trying to make ends meet.

I will still be posting on Letterboxd, so if you do wish to see my thoughts on things, that is where they will be. They will however not be cross-posted anywhere public so if you aren’t following me, you won’t see and I would like to keep it that way until things clear up.

If you wish to donate to either the WGA or the SAG-AFTRA strike funds, please check out these links:

https://sagaftra.foundation/emergencyfinancialassistance/: SAG-ATRA and WGA Strike Solidarity and What It Means For This Page https://www.wga.org/members/finances/good-welfare-emergency-assistance-loans: SAG-ATRA and WGA Strike Solidarity and What It Means For This Page

UPDATE: The guidelines have been fully laid out and it’s been clarified that reviews and analysis are a-ok as long as it’s emphasizing the work done by the creatives of the project and there is a disclaimer. As such, reviews will proceed as normal. The site will continue to refuse paid promo work from struck companies and productions.