The 22nd annual Cinema Against AIDS gala raised more than $30 million last night in support of amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, and its pursuit of a cure for HIV/AIDS. The star-studded black-tie event, held at the Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Antibes, France, during the Cannes Film Festival, was presented by Harry Winston and Bold Films.
Event Chairs included amfAR Chairman Kenneth Cole, Harvey Weinstein, Jake Gyllenhaal and more. The event also featured live performances by internationally renowned musical acts including Charli XCX, Mary J. Blige and Imagine Dragons, who performed hits such as “It’s Time,” “Demons,” and “Radioactive.” Other celebs in attendance included Antonio Banderas, Adrien Brody, Tom Ford, Gigi Hadid, Lewis Hamilton, Kendall Jenner, Zoe Kravitz, Adriana Lima, Eva Longoria, Rita Ora and Robin Thicke.
Since amfAR’s late Founding International Chairman Dame Elizabeth Taylor hosted the first Cinema Against AIDS in 1993, the event has become the most coveted ticket in Cannes. amfAR’s annual Cinema Against AIDS events has been an important fundraising event for the Foundation for over two decades, generating more than $140 million for amfAR’s life-saving research programs and keeping the fight against AIDS in the global media spotlight.
Additionally, amfAR recently launched “Countdown to a Cure for AIDS,” a research initiative aimed at developing the scientific basis for a cure by 2020. “Countdown to a Cure” is designed to intensify amfAR’s cure-focused HIV research program with plans to strategically invest $100 million in cure research over the next five years.