Hollywood actors, filmmakers raise funds to provide humanitarian aid to Gaza

Actors Paul Mescal, Olivia Colman, and Susan Sarandon, along with filmmakers, Spike Lee and Shane Meadows, have joined “Cinema For Gaza”, a UK-based auction aimed at raising funds for providing humanitarian aid to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

Organised by Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP), American actress, Tessa Thompson, will host a Zoom drink session and donate signed items from Sorry To Bother You and The Marvels to the highest bidder, while Sarandon is donating a Zoom chat along with a signed The Rocky Horror Picture Show t-shirt.

Mescal, recognised as a Screen Star of Tomorrow in 2020, is contributing a signed poster from the 2022 film, “Aftersun”, while Colman is offering a personalised video message.

Meanwhile, Lord of the Rings star, Augustus Prew, has donated “one of a kind” elf ears, a framed Malcolm X poster has been signed by Spike Lee and a Mamma Mia! Gold record signed by actor, Stellan Skarsgård.

The highest individual bid currently stands at £7,700 for handwritten lyrics by Annie Lennox for her 1983 hit song ‘Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)‘ with the Eurythmics.

Moreover, according to The Guardian, among the notable contributors is former Labour party leader, Jeremy Corbyn, dubbed the star of Sumotherhood for his cameo in Adam Deacon’s urban thriller last year. Corbyn is offering a Zoom poetry reading session and a selection of homemade jam.

The fundraiser has exceeded £90,000 in donations after just one week of bidding, which will close on Friday, 12 April.

Some 33,207 Palestinians have been killed in the six months since Israel launched its brutal bombing campaign and complete siege of Gaza, the enclave’s Ministry of Health said yesterday. Most of the enclave’s 2.3 million people are homeless and many face a “man-made famine” as Israel continues to restrict the entry of vital food, water and medical aid.

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