From Poirot’s moustache to signed pages from the script of
, an upcoming auction at the Fastnet Film Festival is a potential treasure trove for film buffs.The auction is a fundraiser to help transform the landmark building in the heart of Schull, Co Cork, that was gifted to the Fastnet Film Festival. The festival organisers plan to transform the building into a world class performance centre, including a 120-seater auditorium with a stage, cinema and rooms for workshops, archives, greenscreen, editing and more.
For every €1 raised at the auction, sponsor William and Judith Bollinger will contribute €2.
The silent auction represents a unique chance to get your hands on a wide array of unique film memorabilia. Some of the highlights are:
- A framed ‘Hercule Poirot’ moustache, worn by David Suchet in 1993, created by Patricia Coogan O’Dell, Suchet’s personal make-up artist on the original Poirot television series.
- A framed Rogue One Star Wars script page signed by Alistair Petrie, who played the part of General Davits Draven in the film
- A bespoke tan leather producer case made for David Puttnam, producer of and
- A leather-bound script of Oscar-winning film , written by Robert Bolt. Signed by star Jeremy Irons and producer David Puttnam
- An hour-long sword training class with stunt actor Peter Dillon, whose work include , and . It will culminate in a lightsabre fight, which the winner will be able to film
- A framed doodle by award-winning director Mike Leigh, who has seven Oscar nominations
- A picture of Mick Jagger taken just before the opening show of the Rolling Stones 1964 tour by photographer Chris O’Dell. It is a digital archival print from the original film negative, mounted, framed and glazed
- Artwork from notable artists such as Christine Thery, Hammond Journeaux, Ann Martin, Anne Kenefick, Catherine Melvin, Terrance Keenan and more
- DVDs of work by Oscar-nominated Irish director Lenny Abrahamson, signed by the director himself
- Signed copies of Graham Norton’s novels
There is also a chance to pick up some incredible cinematic history in the form of two black leather screening room chairs from the 1930s. These are from the home cinema of Harry Cohn, co-founder, president and production director from Columbia Pictures. Harry, known as King Cohn, was reputedly the most hated man in Hollywood.
The chairs have been donated by David and Patsy Puttnam.
"We acquired these two screening room chairs in 1987 when we were living in Los Angeles, and they were in my office throughout my tenure as chairman of Columbia Pictures. We’re assured the chairs came from the private screening room of my most illustrious predecessor, Harry Cohn,” Mr Puttnam said.
“Cohn was famously opinionated and ritually insulted everyone who worked for him. One day Herman Mankiewicz, who wrote the screenplay of
, entered the studio dining room to find himself at the receiving end of a stream of barbed insults. Harry Cohn eventually went into a monologue, explaining that he had an infallible test of a film’s likely success or failure — and it was his own behind. If it itches the picture stinks, if it doesn’t itch the picture’s going to be a hit!”“A brief silence was broken by Mankiewicz yelling back, ‘who ever knew the entire American motion picture audience was wired to Harry Cohn’s ass’.”
The live event will take place on March 16, 2019 at the Fastnet Film Centre, Schull. Doors will open at 7.30pm. The €10 entry fee will include live music, wine, canapés and auction registration. For those who can’t make it, online bidding is available.