Directors Mike Leigh, Ken Loach, Asif Kapadia and Joanna Hogg, as well as the cast of shows including Doctor Who and Downton Abbey, are among British film and TV creatives donating lots to a new auction to crowdfund for humanitarian relief in Gaza.
Leigh has given a signed poster of the original 1977 theatre production of Abigail’s Party, while Loach provides signed copies of the poster and script of his latest film, The Old Oak.
Kapadia is offering a bundle of signed posters and DVDs of his back catalogue, while Hogg has donated a rare neon light from autobiographical film The Souvenir.
Other key lots include the opportunity for Tilda Swinton to read you – or your children – a bedtime story over Zoom, as well as a perfect porridge masterclass (also over Zoom) with Josh O’Connor.
Sex Education and Living star Aimee Lou Wood offers a Zoom astrology chat, while Saltburn star Alison Oliver extends the invite for a “restorative drink” over Zoom. Meanwhile It’s a Sin actor and Eurovision star Olly Alexander is offering a “Zoom serenade of a song of your choice”.
The auction has been set up by Cinema for Gaza organisers Hanna Flint, Julia Jackman, Leila Latif, Sophie Monks Kaufman and Helen Simmons, all of whom are film-makers and journalists working in the UK.
They say: “As we enter the sixth month of Israel’s military siege of Gaza, it has never been more vital to raise funds for the urgent humanitarian work conducted by Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP). Their efforts are not only essential but lifesaving, as Israel’s bombardment has obliterated Gaza’s healthcare infrastructure.
“We believe that art and politics are inextricably linked and are called to act in word and deed to help those subjected to unspeakable horrors across the occupied Palestinian territory. Cinema for Gaza is a passionate, inclusive fundraising space powered by the generosity of people from all corners of the film industry who will not stand idly by while Palestinians are dehumanised and attacked with impunity.”
Doctor Who scripts and a clapperboard signed by Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman are also up for grabs, as is a Downton Abbey book signed by Imelda Staunton and Jim Carter.
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Meanwhile, Brian Cox, Maxine Peake and Ramy Youssef are offering seats to their new shows, with a meet and greets afterwards. Other names donating items include directors Alice Lowe, Prano Bailey-Bond, Molly Manning Walker and Luna Carmoon, actors Karen Gillan, Suranne Jones and Paapa Essiedu, playwright Lucy Prebble, and comedians Asim Chaudhry and Frankie Boyle.
The auction will be live from 9am on 2 April until midnight on 12 April. All proceeds go directly to MAP.
