Skin: Star-studded amfAR gala honors Robert De Niro and raises millions

amfAR The gala, the social and celebrity moment of every Cannes film festival, returns in all its glory on Thursday night. After lifting all pandemic restrictions in France ahead of this year’s festival, the AIDS Research Foundation charity event can once again make all the stops on a bright, star-studded night.

Red carpet walkers included actresses Eva Longoria, Cynthia Erivo, Michelle Williams, Vanessa Hudgens, Kate Hudson and Michelle Yeo, actors Tom Hanks, Casey Affleck, Lekit Stanfield, supermodel director Naomi Kemp, director Naomi Kemp, the director (amfAR president) Baz Luhrmann with his wife, Oscar-winning producer Catherine Martin.

The event was again held at the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Antibes, a 20-minute walk from the Cannes Film Festival activities. amfAR’s goal was to attract millions to AIDS research.

“I feel very honored to be here tonight. “I think the world is falling apart and giving people money is good for a great purpose tonight,” said Netflix’s Kamil Razat. Emily in Paris.

After walking the red carpet, the guests arrived at the long entrance behind the hotel, drinking champagne and mingling for the first half of the night. They then moved into a closed tent for a night out and a celebrity auction.

The first musical act of the night was Ricky Martin. The singer of “Living La Vida Loca” called on the public to open their wallets.

The first item up for auction was a series of photos, including photos of Andy Warhol and amfAR patron and longtime presenter Elizabeth Taylor, which sold for $250,000. (In 2011, after Taylor’s death, Sharon Stone began hosting gala dinners.)

Renowned auctioneer Simon de Pure slammed the hammer into the night, paving the way for items like an expensive trip to the Galapagos Islands, which cost $909,000.

Actor Robert De Niro received the honorary award and the picture painted by his father was auctioned for $534,900.

Well-known fashion designer Lowe Roach commented on how grateful she was in the room to raise money to fight AIDS: “We need to get rid of this disease in the world and I will continue to use my platform to talk about it, what happens. A lot. “

Cryptocurrency exchange platform FTX was the main sponsor of the amfAR Gala, the first cryptocurrency organization to be a support event in over 30 years of history. The organization received cryptographic payments to enter the gala. FTX has expanded its access to high-profile celebrity association events and commercials in recent months, including a recent Super Bowl commercial featuring Larry David. The group met last month. Supermodel Gisele Bundchen, Head of Environmental and Social Initiatives, Makes Her First Debut Luxury fashion print campaign.

“AIDS affects so many people, so when we make charitable donations, we really try to reach the biggest areas of global suffering,” Lauren Remington Platt, director of global fashion and luxury partnerships, told FTX. “The philanthropic aspect is in line with our values ​​and in terms of luxury and fashion, you have it all in one epicenter and we are working to reveal the broader demographics of cryptocurrency to clarify these issues.”

Sam Bankman-Fried, co-founder of Platt and FTX A custom FTX diamond necklace was auctioned to support AIDS research. Which sold for $133,000. Crafted in 18K white gold with 12K diamond and palladium alloy, the necklace featured the iconic FTX logo.

Karine Roitfeld, ex-French Fashion An editor that has its own edition. CR fashion book He curated the evening’s fashion show, which featured “Let’s Get Married!” The theme, Roitfeld said, was inspired by Elizabeth Taylor, the founding president of amfAR, who was married eight times.

“This comes at a time when I feel like celebrating love and family is more important than ever,” Roitfeld said.

The 30-item fashion collection included Alexander McQueen lace wedding tuxedos; men’s light gray satin suit from Balmain; White taffeta with voluminous names; Givenchy 4G long shirt with bike collar; Sleeveless top in cotton trimmed with a long white silk skirt; Prada dress white skirt with side slits, decorated with crystals and jay embroidery; And a short hemp V-neck dress with full embroidery from Valentino with floral crystals and glittery micro-material embroidery. The collection of items sold for $855,000.

Luhrmann took the stage at Elvis’ guitar auction. The Australian director stunned Cannes on Wednesday night with the world premiere of his rock ‘n’ roll biopic Elvis, starring Austin Bullter as the king of rock ‘n’ roll and Tom Hanks as his manager, Colonel Tom. Parker. The guitar sold for $187,000, and Luhrmann offered to shoot the film via Zoom to the highest bidder.

The night ended on a high level with the performance of Christina Aguilera, who sang “Beautiful and Strong” to a standing ovation from the audience.

Since 1985, amfAR has invested $617 million in AIDS research, providing more than 3,500 grants to research teams around the world.