As we enter the sixth month of Israel's attack on Gaza, UK-based film journalists and filmmakers are raising funds for Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP). Banding together under the umbrella of Cinema for Gaza, Hanna Flint, Julia Jackman, Leila Latif, Sophie Monks Kaufman, and Helen Simmons have initiated the auction, which includes theatre tickets, signed posters, Zoom calls and time with famous actors.
Some of the prizes you can bid on include a bedtime story read to you over Zoom by Tilda Swinton, a cup of tea shared over Zoom with Paapa Essiedu or Joseph Quinn, a tutorial on how to make the perfect porridge with Josh O'Connor – which is bundled with the Challengers actor's secret recipe, along with a drink shared with Saltburn star Alison Oliver or a conversation with Aimee Lou Wood about all things astrology.
None of those pique your interest? Also up for grabs are three The Iron Claw posters signed by Harris Dickinson, a part in Bend It Like Beckham director Gurinder Chadha's next film, and a limited edition copy of the book about How To Have Sex personalised by the film's director Molly Manning Walker.
Other highlights include tickets to Ramy Youssef's live show followed by a meet and greet, and house seats to see Brian Cox in the production of Long Day's Journey Into Night on the West End, along with a brief hello after the performance. You can also bid to have your portrait taken by photographer Misan Harriman.
Cinema for Gaza's auction for MAP will kick off on April 2 at 9am BST running through to midnight on April 12. All proceeds raised will go directly to MAP at a time where locally-led medical aid and humanitarian assistance in Gaza has never been more essential.
As of March 27, Al Jazeera reports that at least 32,414 Palestinians have been killed and 74,787 wounded by Israeli forces since October 7. Israel has plunged half the civilian population of Gaza into a state of acute food insecurity, the conditions of which have been described as "catastrophic". The United Nations also says that as of March 12, 23 children have died from malnutrition and dehydration at hospitals located in the north of Gaza.
Despite the ceasefire resolution arrived at by the UN Security Council on May 25, news reports also indicate that the IDF continues its attacks as usual. Small acts like these might seem trivial, but Palestinians in Gaza need our support, however we can provide it, more urgently than ever.
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