FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
amfAR Media Contacts:
Bennah Serfaty, Senior Director of Communications, (212) 806-1607, bennah.serfaty@amfar.org
Credential Requests : Caroline Humphrey, Media Relations Associate, (212) 806-1632, caroline.humphrey@amfar.org
NATALIE PORTMAN, ISABELLA ROSSELLINI, JAKE GYLLENHAAL, DIANE KRUGER, AISHWARYA RAI, FRANCES MCDORMAND, CARINE ROITFELD, MILUTIN GATSBY, MICHEL LITVAK, KENNETH COLE
Among Chairs of amfAR’s 22nd Cinema Against AIDS Event
Imagine Dragons, Mary J. Blige and Charli XCX to Perform
Presented by HARRY WINSTON and BOLD FILMS
New York, NY, April 28, 2015—Isabella Rossellini, Natalie Portman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Diane Kruger, Aishwarya Rai, Abishek Bachchan, Frances McDormand, Milutin Gatsby, Carine Roitfeld, Michel Litvak, and amfAR Chairman Kenneth Cole will be among the chairs of the 22nd edition of amfAR’s world-renowned Cinema Against AIDS event, to be held on May 21, 2015, during the Cannes Film Festival. Other event chairs include Nayla Hayek, John C. Reilly, Remo Ruffini, and Len Blavatnik.
Cinema Against AIDS 22 is presented by Harry Winston and Bold Films. MoëtHennessy is Official Wine and Spirits Partner.
The annual star-studded event is one of the world’s most successful benefits, and is the most coveted ticket during the Cannes International Film Festival. Held at the Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Antibes, France, this glamorous and unpredictable gala will include several musical performances and a parade of prominent appearances, as many of the celebrity guests help with the event’s over-the-top live auction.
Confirmed performers include the Grammy Award-winning rock band Imagine Dragons, whose recent second studio album Smoke + Mirrors debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200,the nine-time Grammy Award-winning and multi-platinum selling singer, songwriter, actress, and philanthropist Mary J. Blige, and Grammy-nominated British pop sensation Charli XCX.
Longtime amfAR supporter Carine Roitfeld will once again curate a fashion show of one-of-a-kind looks from a who’s who of the world’s most celebrated fashion designers. Forty of the world’s top models (including event Co-Chairs Karlie Kloss, Adriana Lima and Irina Shayk) will participate in the spectacular black-and-white themed runway presentation, accessorized with jewelry by Harry Winston. The fashion show will be DJ’d by multi-platinum selling and Grammy Award-winning producer Mark Ronson, whose latest hit “Uptown Funk” with Bruno Mars spent 14 consecutive weeks at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100.
Participating designers in the fashion show will include Chanel, Dior, Louis Vuitton, Givenchy, Gucci, Prada, Céline, Balmain, Giorgio Armani and Tom Ford among others.
After the Cinema Against AIDS 22 dinner, guests will be invited to the exclusive After Party, presented by Moncler.
amfAR's annual Cinema Against AIDS events have been important and successful fundraising events 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. amfAR continues to fund HIV/AIDS researchers worldwide, and works to translate their research into effective policy, prevention, and treatment education programs 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.
Past events have been chaired by amfAR’s late Founding International Chairman Dame Elizabeth Taylor, who hosted the first Cinema Against AIDS gala in 1993, President Bill Clinton, George Clooney, Matt Damon, Nicole Kidman, Robert De Niro, Sir Elton John, and Madonna, among many others.
amfAR’s Cinema Against AIDS event is produced by Andy Boose/AAB Productions.
Delta Air Lines is the official airline of amfAR.
Harry Winston is the official jewelry and timepiece partner of amfAR.
MoëtHennessy is the official wine and spirits partner of amfAR.
Official Hashtag of the event: #amfarcannes
For more information, visit www.amfar.org
About amfAR:
amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, is one of the world’s leading nonprofit organizations dedicated to the support of AIDS research, HIV prevention, treatment education, and the advocacy of sound AIDS-related public policy. Since 1985, amfAR has invested $415 million in its programs and has awarded more than 3,300 grants to research teams worldwide.
About Bold Films:
Bold Films is an independent entertainment production and finance company dedicated to providing an artistic haven for creative talent. Bold Films’ mission is to produce original, studio-quality films, which have worldwide commercial appeal.
Recent projects for Bold include Damien Chazelle’s WHIPLASH, Dan Gilroy’s NIGHTCRAWLER, and Ryan Gosling’s LOST RIVER. Next up for Bold is John Erick Dowdle’s action thriller NO ESCAPE, starring Owen Wilson, Pierce Brosnan and Lake Bell. Also, Bold is co-financing Nicolas Winding Refn’s THE NEON DEMON which is currently in production. Beginning production in May for Bold is Ric Roman Waugh’s thriller SHOT CALLER, which is being sold internationally by Sierra/Affinity at Cannes.
About Harry Winston, Inc.:
Founded in New York City in 1932, The House of Harry Winston continues to set the standard for the ultimate in fine jewelry and high-end watch making. From the acquisition of some of the world’s most famous gemstones, including the Jonker, Hope and Winston Legacy Diamonds, to adorning Hollywood’s leading ladies on the red carpet, for over eight decades, Harry Winston has been a symbol of the best there is. Headquartered in New York, the company operates retail salons worldwide, in locations including: New York, Beverly Hills, London, Paris, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Shanghai.
About Harry Winston’s Partnership with amfAR:
In January 2015, Harry Winston, Inc., announced a groundbreaking new partnership with amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, that represents the single largest corporate partnership in the Foundation’s history. Through a wide range of contributions including direct financial support and in-kind donations, Harry Winston will help advance amfAR’s efforts to end the global AIDS epidemic through innovative research.
Harry Winston is the first company to serve as the presenting sponsor for the organization’s 27 gala events taking place across the globe over the next three years. These events are vital to raising more than half of amfAR’s general operating support, enabling the organization to invest wisely in pioneering research and programs. The company will also become a leading supporter of amfAR’s Countdown to a Cure initiative, which is aimed at developing the scientific basis for a cure for HIV/AIDS by 2020.