A growing list of high-profile names from the film and TV world, including Jonathan Glazer, Tilda Swinton, and Succession star Brian Cox, have donated unique gifts to Cinema For Gaza, a fundraising auction supporting aid for people in Gaza, which launched yesterday April 2nd.
As of this morning, the auction has topped £41,650 ($52,343) in cash donations. The gifts and experiences people are donating include a ticket to Ramy Youssef’s live show and afterparty, a porridge tutorial with Challengers actor Josh O’Connor, and a bedtime story read over Zoom with Tilda Swinton.
The auction lot also includes two signed film posters (The Zone Of Interest and Under The Skin) from filmmaker Jonathan Glazer. The British filmmaker, who has yet to speak public following backlash over his Oscars speech, joined the campaign in the 11th hour before it went live on April 2nd, organizers told Deadline. Veteran filmmaker Ken Loach has also donated a signed Old Oak poster and script and documentary filmmaker Asif Kapadia has donated a signed collection of his film posters and movies.
The list of contributors is set to grow with the organizers due to add new gifts this afternoon, including a signed Supernova film poster from Colin Firth, Stanley Tucci, and Harry Macqueen. Actress Rebecca Hall has signed on to also read a bedtime story, and Maisie Williams has donated a signed Game Of Thrones DVD.
The Cinema For Gaza campaign was created by UK film professionals Hanna Flint, Julia Jackman, Leila Latif, Sophie Monks Kaufman, and Helen Simmons. The group has had no backing or budget and has largely organized efforts over a WhatsApp group chat launched over dinner in February. Celebrity donations have come in through a combination of requests from the group who have tapped into their industry contacts alongside unprompted offers from actors and filmmakers who reached out after hearing about the campaign organically.
The auction closes on Friday, April 12, at midnight BST. All cash donations will be handed to Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP), a healthcare organization currently responding to the emergency in Gaza.
The UN has predicted an imminent “man-made” famine in the territory. This week, seven humanitarian aid workers were killed in Gaza after an “unintended” Israeli air strike. The deaths have led to some aid agencies pausing their work due to safety concerns.
The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said Monday that at least 32,845 people have been killed in the territory during the war between Israel and Palestinian militants. The latest flare-up in hostilities was sparked by Hamas’ attack on Israel last October which killed more than 1100 and saw more than 200 taken hostage.