To fundraise for her upcoming trip to Ethiopia in November, our good friend Sarah hosted “A Night at the Oscars” at the Little Theatre in Bath. The theatre was chosen for its connection to Ethiopia: Haile Selassie used to live in Bath whilst in exile and, during World War Two, he regularly visited the Little Theatre to get news updates on World events.
Sarah Approached five local Bath celebrities who kindly nominated the film that had influenced them the most, providing short explanations behind their choices. The celebrities included Peter King, an Academy Award winner for Best Makeup for ‘Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King’; Ken Loach, the director of I, Danial Blake; Simon Shepherd, an actor best known for his role in Peak Practice; Margaret Heffernan, an entrepreneur and CEO; and Holly Tarquini, the Executive Director of Bath Film Society.
All guests were given the opportunity to vote for their favourite film, and, in true Oscars fashion, the final result was announced on the night. Holly Tarquini’s nomination ‘Capernaum’ was the winner – an exceptional film. Holly said she chose the film because, “It’s a remarkable piece of film making and it’s F-Rated (directed and written by a woman)”.
The suave, black tie event was hosted by ex-England and Bath rugby legend Phil de Glanville and guests enjoyed cocktails, a performance by the Priordonnas choir and a showing of Alex and Roger Chapman’s short film, ‘Just because I can’t See Doesn’t Mean I Can’t Do’. The film is centered on the experience of our Youth Ambassador Hester Poole and her trip to visit Mekelle Blind School in Ethiopia. Hester, who is visually impaired, introduced the film herself and very much enjoyed the popcorn, much to the jealousy of her support dog Flash!
Sarah raised over £1,300 and everyone left beaming after such a fantastic evening. If you would like to know more about how you could organise a similar event to fundraise for us or read more about how you can support Ethiopiaid, please visit our fundraising page or contact us directly.
