A24 Auctions: Mementos from the Multiverse
An ‘Auditor of the Month’ Trophy from Everything Everywhere All at Once sold for $60,000. Images courtesy of A24 Films
In 2020, A24 Films held its first entertainment memorabilia auction, giving collectors and fans the chance to own screen-used treasures from the A24 Films production attic, including props from Hereditary, Eighth Grade, and Mid90s. Proceeds benefited NYC Health + Hospitals, providing much needed support to an epicentre of the COVID-19 crisis. Subsequent auctions followed at the pandemic’s height, with items from Midsommar benefitting the FNDY Foundation, pieces from Uncut Gems benefitting The Queens Community House, and props from The Lighthouse benefitting The Food Bank of New York City. The auctions included incredibly iconic pieces from A24’s screen history, such as the infamous mermaid carving from The Lighthouse, which sold for $110,750 and the 10,000-silk-flower may queen gown from Midsommar, which was purchased by the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. All together, the initial four A24 auctions raised a total of $362,875 for New York City. Film Review recently spoke with A24 Films, who shared, “The idea of the auctions felt like a no brainer, we thought ‘How do we, as a New York based entertainment company, give back to our community in some way at the height of COVID-19’. It was incredible to work with organisations that benefited the NYC workers and families impacted by COVID-19.”
Last year, A24 Auctions presented a wildly fun assortment of original promotional items from films ranging from the late 70s to early noughties. Everything from Con Air peanuts to a There’s Something About Mary antenna topper featured in the sale and in A24’s lavish book For Promotional Use Only, which catalogues the movie merch. Proceeds benefited the Vidiots Foundation, “who we love as an org and have worked with in the past,” says A24. An iconic gathering place for L.A. film lovers and filmmakers since 1985, the Vidiots Foundation has a new home in the historic Eagle Theatre, where Vidiots will produce year-round film programmes and educational initiatives beginning this spring.
The current set of A24 Auctions includes everything a collector could ever hope for from Best Picture nominee Everything Everywhere All at Once, including the film’s Oscar-nominated costumes. Costume designer Shirley Kurata most recently picked up the award for Excellence in Sci-Fi/Fantasy Film at the 2023 Costume Designers Guild Awards. As with previous auctions, all the proceeds benefit worthy causes. A24 shared, “This year all the orgs chosen were part of causes dear to the Daniels, but also represent the inherent spirit of the film and the communities that it was intended for.”
Thoughtfully themed with the charities they benefit, the three current auctions include ‘Mementos from the Multiverse’, which benefits the Asian Mental Health Project, an organisation that aims to educate and empower Pan-Asian communities in seeking mental healthcare. ‘In Another Life’ benefits the Transgender Law Center, which is the largest U.S. trans-led organisation advocating for a world in which all people are free to define themselves and their futures. Finally, ‘Laundry & Taxes’ benefits the Laundry Workers Center, which aims to combat abuses such as landlord negligence, wage theft, and hazardous and exploitative working conditions. Through all three auctions A24 offered, “everything from Wang family costumes to a pile of receipts. Our personal favourite Racacoonie is currently at $90,000!”
A24 is the global entertainment company behind such award winning films as Minari, Moonlight, Lady Bird, The Tragedy of Macbeth, Everything Everywhere All at Once, and Marcel the Shell with Shoes On. Upcoming films include Ari Aster’s Beau is Afraid starring Joaquin Phoenix, and Celine Song’s directorial debut Past Lives. A24 Auctions gives collectible items the second life they deserve, and fans a chance to own a piece of A24 history for good—literally.
Learn more about A24 Auctions and register for upcoming auctions at: https://a24auctions.com
CHAD KENNERK
