Social Redeemer
A turn-on, maybe, but also a huge financial risk. "Whenever a movie has a political element, it's a tricky situation to sell it," says Brandon Gray, president and publisher of tracking service Box Office Mojo. "Sometimes it can capture the zeitgeist, like Fahrenheit 9/11 . But for the most part, people just don't like to be preached to." While Gray predicts Good Night, and Good Luck could become a modest success because of its awards potential, North Country could be a tougher challenge of the public's appetite for heartier themes. "It looks so serious, and sexual harassment is such a tired subject matter by now," he says. "It's grungy looking--and people prefer glamour."
Idealist. Just releasing movies wasn't enough for Skoll, though. Instead of simply writing checks to the Red Cross or United Way, Skoll is using business methods to solve society's problems. An example: Martin Fisher, whose Skoll-funded program KickStart is bringing technologies to rural Africa, like getting innovative pumps to poor farmers. "In 10 years' time, KickStart's technologies have helped account for one half of 1 percent of Kenya's annual GDP," says Sally Osberg, president and CEO of the Skoll Foundation. "They're not just idea people; they're doers."
In movie terms, that philosophy of social entrepreneurship means getting people to act. For Good Night, and Good Luck , the accompanying "action campaign" is called Report It Now; it encourages citizen journalists to report on unfair practices in their own towns. Partners in the venture include PBS, Salon.com, the American Civil Liberties Union, and XM Satellite Radio. "I don't think there's a company in Hollywood that has done something like this before," says Strauss, who was executive producer of the Cameron Diaz vehicle The Sweetest Thing .
But will it make money? "Every year there are films which executives would never think would make any money but do--like March of the Penguins ," says Gitesh Pandya, industry analyst and editor of BoxOfficeGuru.com. "If he focuses on the key ingredients--good stories, good filmmaking, good marketing, star power, and offering the audience something different--there's no reason why he can't succeed."
Skoll will re-evaluate the situation if and when the original $100 million is used up. And if Participant turns out to be a sustainable moneymaker, those funds will be plowed into future projects.
Think he's a little too trusting in human nature? Just check out another of his recent projects: dubbing the movie Gandhi into Arabic, and screening it in the Palestinian territories to seed the idea of nonviolent resistance. The Skoll people brought along Ben Kingsley for good measure, partnered with about 75 local nongovernmental organizations to spread the message, and even got Israeli and Palestinian soldiers to watch it together. Now that's optimism. Says Skoll, simply: "That's the power of film."
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