It's the biggest movie memorabilia auction of all time and it's organised by UNICEF Ireland, spearheaded by Irish actor Liam Neeson, and sponsored by IONA Technologies. The project, Movie Action for Children, was dreamed up by Ms Maura Quinn, executive director of UNICEF Ireland, and Liam Neeson a year ago. The auction takes place on March 6th. "It's a huge international story. Basically, the goal of the project is to wipe out mother-to-child HIV transmission in three African countries," says Ms Quinn.
Movie Action for Children is a major fundraising event. It offers collectors the opportunity to acquire rare movie memorabilia while helping to combat mother-to-child HIV/AIDS transmission in Zambia, Zimbabwe and the Ivory Coast.
A recent study indicated that a low-cost drug can achieve reduced mother-to-child transmission of AIDS with only a small dose to the mother and a single dose to the child. The cost of the medicine for each mother-and-child pair is about $4 (#4.4) yet available funds are too low to develop the programme.
Next Tuesday an auction of some 15 highlights will be held at Sotheby's, New York, with online bidding for the array of other items already up and running at www.sothebys.com, where online bidders should register. Items in both auctions can be viewed on the Sotheby's website or by visiting www.fineartsbrokerage.com All proceeds go to UNICEF Ireland's mother-to-child HIV/AIDS transmission programme. Sotheby's has agreed to waive its commission for the live and online auctions. Liam Neeson appealed to people in the movie and entertainment world to help raise money to prevent infants contracting HIV. Some 34 per cent of infants born with HIV die before their first birthday. By the age of three, the death toll almost doubles to 66 per cent, while by the age of five, 75 per cent will be dead. The response of the movie and entertainment community has been considerable. Items for auction include the lightsaber used by Liam Neeson in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, Mel Gibson's sword from Braveheart, Catherine Zeta Jones' costume from The Mask of Zorro, the bullwhip used by Harrison Ford in the three Indiana Jones adventures, Julia Roberts' wedding dress from The Runaway Bride and a deckchair from Titanic. Celebrities who donated items also include Michael Caine, Steven Spielberg, Tom Cruise, Michael Jackson, Quentin Tarantino, Bruce Willis, Glenn Close, Christian Slater, Robert de Niro, Ralph Fiennes, Ewan McGregor, Emma Thompson, Dennis Hopper, Courtney Cox, Goldie Hawn and Laurence Fishburne. The highly anticipated Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone features among the top items for auction. This lot comprises sheet music printed on heavy, parchment-like paper with the lyrics, music and borders embossed in gold lettering and signed by more than a dozen cast members, including Fiona Shaw and Alan Rickman, and author JK Rowling. U2's Bono has donated the pair of wrap-around shades he wore in the video for Beautiful Day, estimates for which should be swayed by the recent Grammy awards. Meryl Streep has donated the red dress she wore in The Bridges of Madison County, a role that earned her an Academy Award nomination. Gabriel Byrne has donated the jacket he wore in The Usual Suspects, while Sugar Ray Leonard donated and autographed a pair of his boxing gloves. Michael Jackson has donated a one-of-a-kind coat that he wore at the Monaco Music Awards 2000.
jmarms@irish-times.ie
