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Stars at Cannes raise $15M for AIDS research

Compiled from wire services LIFE
Published May 25,2019
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A general view shows people attending on May 23, 2019 the amfAR 26th Annual Cinema Against AIDS (AFP Photo)

A signed portrait of Mick Jagger by Andy Warhol, a motorcycle designed by Lewis Hamilton and a vacation at a private island off Tanzania were some of the items that raised $15 million at the 26th amfAR gala and auction.

The event, which raises money for AIDS research, is a fixture during the Cannes Film Festival with its black tie dinner, star-filled live auction and a designer fashion show.

The social highlight of the festival, the charity dinner laid on by the American Foundation for AIDS Research (amFAR) brought in a host of big hitters among them Antonio Banderas, Eva Longoria, Andie MacDowell, Adrien Brody, Tom Jones, Tommy Hilfiger, Pamela Anderson and Donald Trump's youngest daughter Tiffany.

The 26th edition of the annual Cinema Against AIDS kicked off at sunset in a marquee where an operatic number was followed by a set by British glam rock band The Struts, with later performances by Jones and Mariah Carey.

As the evening got underway, the auction opened with bids on a motorbike designed by Lewis Hamilton, and a picture of Mick Jagger painted by Andy Warhol, and signed by both of them.

Over the years, the gala has raised tens of millions for AIDS research programs and the search for a cure.