Neon, the film studio behind award-winning hits like Parasite and I, Tonya, has launched a pro-choice campaign as Roe v. Wade stands on the precipice of being overturned.
Corresponding with the releases of Portrait of a Lady on Fire and The Worst Person in the World, Neon announced an online shop that will feature “pro-choice, anti-oppression artwork created in collaboration with award-winning artist Akiko Stehrenberger,” according to Indiewire.
“Neon believes that universal access to safe abortions is a human right and we are inspired by those who continue to speak out and stand up for these rights,” said the company statement. “We hope that the Pro-Choice campaign inspires others, within the entertainment industry and beyond, to take part in helping these critical organizations.”
The products for sale include a Portrait of a Lady on Fire Abortion Scene Print, a Scales of Justice by Akiko Stehrenberger Tee, adn Supreme Coat Hanger by Akiko Stehrenberger Tee. The studio will donate 100 percent of the net proceeds to the National Network of Abortion Funds.
Neon will also provide Céline Sciamma’s Portrait of a Lady on Fire and Nia DaCosta’s Little Woods films available for free to “any organization or screening host who would like to use the film to support an independent abortion fund in the U.S. through August 31.”
“Both films are now available on the social cinema platform Kinema, which allows a host to organize in-person or virtual screenings of the films, with ticket sales supporting the abortion fund of their choice,” noted Indiewire.
Neon’s expressed support for abortion follows United Talent Agency and Amazon announcing it would reimburse employees for travel expenses to obtain an abortion should their home state ban the practice.
However, other movie studios have reportedly expressed hesitation about wading into the abortion debate, fearing it would create trouble for a business, especially after seeing how Florida handled Disney’s “Don’t Say Gay” smear.
“If the states decide after the Supreme Court ruling [to ban abortion], it’s going to be hard as a studio to say, ‘We’re not going to do business there.’ We’re not going to do business in half the country? A studio’s job is not to divide and conquer, like politics. A studio’s job is to aggregate as many people as they can,” Howard Bragman, a crisis PR veteran, told The Wrap.
When TheWrap reached out to studios asking if they would pull production from certain states based on abortion laws, none responded.