Idris Elba, Queen Latifah and Billy Porter among 300 actors and filmmakers to call on Hollywood to prove Black Lives Matter

The stars lent their name to an open letter calling on the film industry to do more to support black actors and filmmakers

Idris Elba, Queen Latifah and Billy Porter are among stars to sign the open letter.

More than 300 black actors and filmmakers, including Idris Elba, Queen Latifah and Billy Porter, have come together to ask Hollywood to divest in the police and invest in anti-racist content.

An open letter addressed to "Our Allies in Hollywood" attacked what it called the industry's "legacy of white supremacy" and said Hollywood "encourages the epidemic of police violence and culture of anti-Blackness."

The letter, organised by the group Hollywood 4 Black Lives, was written in the midst of a cultural and political reckoning in the United States about systemic racism, sparked by mass protests over the killing of black people by police.

Specific demands in the letter include abolishing the employment of police officers on sets and putting pressure on Los Angeles city authorities to reduce budgets for policing.

It called on the movie and television industry to "end the intentional glorification of police brutality and corruption in our storytelling" and for studios to employ more black people with executive, budget and green lighting powers.

It comes after long-running police TV shows Live PD and Cops were cancelled earlier this month. Multiple celebrities, including talk show hosts Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon, and creator Tina Fey have issued public apologies for wearing black face or depicting white characters made up as black people.

"It is time for Hollywood to acknowledge its role and take on the responsibility of repairing the damage and being a proactive part of the change," the letter said.

According to a report on diversity in Hollywood published in February by the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), people of color took 27.6 per cent of lead roles in top films for 2019, almost triple the percentage in 2011.

Heads of movie studios were 91 per cent white and 82 per cent male, according to the report.

Black Lives Matter protests take place across the US:

From left, Quacy, Quintan, both 12, Milo, and Quacy Jr, both 16 hold placards as they walk in the rain after attending a Black Lives Matter protest in front of Lafayette Park, near the White House, Washington DC. AFP

A man reacts at a memorial for George Floyd following a day of demonstration in a call for justice for the black American who died while in custody of the Minneapolis police, on June 5, 2020, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. AFP

A protester participates in a demonstration during a storm in front of Lafayette Park next to the White House, Washington, DC. AFP

Demonstrators attend a Black Lives Matter protest to express solidarity with US protestors in Sydney. AFP

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, second left, takes a knee during in a Black Lives Matter protest on Parliament Hill, Ottawa, Canada. AFP

Protesters take a knee and raise their fists during a 'Black Lives Matter' demonstration in front of the Brooklyn Library and Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn, New York. AFP

Youths kneel with placards reading 'Black Lives Matter' in front of riot police officers blocking the way in Athens during a rally against racism and police brutality and in support to the protests in US. AFP

People hold banners during a Black Lives Matter rally in central Seoul, South Korea. EPA

A man holds a placard in solidarity with thousands of people marching during a Black Lives Matter protest in Brisbane. AP

Protesters wear masks during a rally in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter demonstration on June 6, 2020 in Melbourne, Australia. Getty

Aboriginal elders conduct a traditional smoking ceremony at Town Hall during a 'Black Lives Matter' protest on June 6, 2020 in Sydney, Australia. Getty

Demonstrators are seen in the rain wearing protective face masks during a Black Lives Matter protest in Verulamium Park, St Albans, Britain, following the death of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis, on June 6, 2020. Reuters

People hold placards at a Black Lives Matter protest to express solidarity with US protesters, in Melbourne on June 6, 2020. AFP

Activists hold placards as they attend a rally in support of the 'Black Lives Matter' demonstrations in the US, during a march in the Myeongdong district of central Seoul on June 6, 2020. AFP

Activists hold placards as they attend a rally in support of the 'Black Lives Matter' protests, during a march in the Myeongdong district of central Seoul on June 6, 2020. AFP

A placard reading "black lives matter" is seen in a car during a communal conference of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) at a drive-in cinema on the site of the former blast furnace Phoenix West in Dortmund, western Germany, on June 6, 2020 amid the novel coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. The conference aims at preparing the local elections in September. / AFP / Ina FASSBENDER

Protesters chant and hold placards during a 'Black Lives Matter' march on June 6, 2020 in Sydney, Australia. Getty

A young child attends the 'Black Lives Matter' march with her family on June 6, 2020 in Sydney, Australia. Getty

Protesters gather at a Black Lives Matter rally in Genoa, Italy, on June 6, 2020. EPA

Demonstrators wearing protective face masks attend a Black Lives Matter protest in London's Parliament Square on June 6, 2020, following the death of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis. Reuters

Other signatories to Tuesday's letter included campaign groups Black Lives Matter and Color of Change, as well as actors Viola Davis, Tiffany Haddish, Janelle Monae, Mahershala Ali, Laverne Cox, Cynthia Erivo and Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman.