Angelina Jolie once made a career of raiding tombs as Lara Croft. These days, she is more interested in helping communities unlock the riches they already possess.
The Oscar-winning actress, who won Best Supporting Actress for playing Lisa Rowe in the 1999 film Girl, Interrupted, brought a different kind of mission to the Philippine-hosted ASEAN Inclusive Growth Summit. Her target was not an ancient treasure, but a persistent development problem: dependence on humanitarian aid when communities have the talent and resources to build their own prosperity.
Drawing on two decades of work with refugees, Jolie said she had repeatedly encountered countries rich in cultural heritage, natural resources, and creative talent, yet held back by unequal trading arrangements and limited access to markets.
“These are not poor cultures. These are not poor countries,” she said, arguing that fair trade and equitable production could give communities the means to become more self-sufficient.
Her answer is taking shape through Atelier Jolie, a creative enterprise designed to give artists and local businesses space to showcase their products, music, and books, build communities, and connect with international networks.
Starting in New York, the initiative is now looking toward Cambodia. Jolie envisions dedicating about 70 percent of each space to local creators and products, with the remainder reserved for international exchanges.
The proposition is to give local talent more than a place in the spotlight. By connecting creators with businesses and wider markets, Atelier Jolie hopes to turn cultural assets into commercial opportunities and help promising enterprises break beyond their local markets.
“I see this as an opportunity to connect artists and business and break through some of the trade barriers,” she said.
In Cambodia, Jolie is also exploring a broader cultural initiative with filmmaker Rithy Panh. Plans include restoring old theaters, preserving traditional practices, supporting conservation-related livelihoods, and opening her home for artist residencies.
Fittingly, it was in Cambodia, where she filmed Lara Croft: Tomb Raider in 2001, that opened her eyes to people’s sufferings and her eventual 20-year engagement as special envoy to the United Nations High Commission on Refugees. She was a UN goodwill ambassador until 2022.
Beneath Jolie’s cultural mission lies a business proposition: heritage can be more than something to preserve. It can create livelihoods, support enterprise, and generate lasting economic value.
The real prize, Jolie said, is a shift from delivering assistance to building the conditions in which people can produce, trade, earn, and thrive on their own terms.
“You’re investing in their independence,” said Jolie.
