In society finding a cure for Aids is really huge, so on Friday May 22nd Amfar held their 22nd Gala and raised more than three million dollars to support the effort of finding research to find a cure to kill off this disease. The star-studded black-tie event, held at the Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Antibes, France, during the Cannes Film Festival and was presented by Harry Winston and Bold Films.Event Chairs included amfAR Chairman Kenneth Cole, Harvey Weinstein, Jake Gyllenhaal, Carine Roitfeld, Isabella Rossellini, Frances McDormand, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan, Diane Kruger, John C. Reilly, Michel Litvak, amfAR Global Fundraising Chairman Milutin Gatsby, Len Blavatnik, Nayla Hayek, Remo Ruffini, and Vin Roberti.
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The live auction was the excitement of the Gala; There was an intriguing 181Ž2 tall sculpture by Jeff Koons that was titled Coloring Book. This magnificent artwork was on display at the Hôtel du Cap for guests to admire against the backdrop of the Mediterranean. After a lively round of bidding, the Koons’s Celebration Series sold for over $13 million.
Also Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai Bachchan introduced an exquisite bespoke diamond necklace, designed exclusively for AmfAR and Cinema Against AIDS by Harry Winston in recognition of their new milestone partnership with AmfAR. Recalling the teardrop silhouette of the famed Taylor-Burton diamond, the necklace was comprised of 191 and marquise diamonds and weighed in at 33 carats.It was Titled “Epic Cluster,” and was purchased for $500,000.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. Past events have been chaired by AmfAR’s Global Campaign Chair Sharon Stone, President Bill Clinton, George Clooney, Matt Damon, Nicole Kidman, Robert De Niro, Sir Elton John, Demi Moore, and Madonna, among many others.
AmfAR’s annual Cinema Against AIDS events have been a very successful event for the Foundation for over two decades. It has generating more than $140 million for amfAR’s life-saving research programs and it has put the spotlight on this disease and the fight that comes with it. AmfAR continues to fund HIV/AIDS researchers worldwide, and works to translate their research into effective policy, prevention, and treatment around the globe. 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.
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