“Bonsoir!” Rizzo said, waving at my phone’s camera as I stepped out of a black car outside the Hotel du Cap Eden-Roc in Antibes, France, around 7pm on Thursday.
The Grammy winner hurried down a lavender carpet filled with journalists and photographers as she was to be one of a trio (the others being Robbie Williams and Zara Larsson) to perform at amfAR’s annual gala during the Cannes Film Festival. Waiting at the back of the press box was “Summer House” star Ciara Miller, amfAR’s special guest correspondent. Miller was probably the most Googled celebrity at the Black Tie Gala, other than Oscar winner Rami Malek. His latest film, “The Man I Love,” was screened at the Cannes Film Festival the night before and received rave reviews. Pure star power aside, Malek’s presence at the glitzy event alongside the film’s director Ira Sachs was fitting as amfAR raises research funds to end HIV and AIDS, while The Man I Love is about a stage actor navigating life and love after being diagnosed with AIDS in 1980s New York.
At the cocktail reception, stars including Eva Longoria, Heidi Klum, Coco Rocha, Robin Thicke, Lisa Rinna, Maura Higgins and Brooks Nader mingled over drinks of Champagne Termont, Gérard Bertrand wine and Rumor Rosé against a backdrop of crystal blue ocean.
The evening’s host was Oscar winner Geena Davis, who was already making her mark at Cannes this year. She appeared on the official poster for the 79th edition, along with her “Thelma & Louise” co-star Susan Sarandon.
“All of us have a very important mission in mind: supporting amfAR’s life-saving research,” Davis said on stage. “The first time I visited Cannes was in 1991, when there was little we could do other than give support and love to our friends and family. But over 30 years later, the story is very different. Thanks to extraordinary treatments, procedures and options, millions of people are able to live longer and healthier lives.”
amfAR CEO Kyle Clifford, the first HIV-positive person to lead the organization, later announced the expansion of its mission to research into cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, autoimmune diseases, and chronic inflammation.
“We are leveraging everything that HIV research has taught us to accelerate breakthroughs across human health,” Clifford said. “That’s what amfAR offers, not just funding, but hope.”
Some of that money will come from the live auction, which will take up much of the multi-hour event’s running time. The highlight of the ceremony was a fashion show organized by Carine Roitfeld. Longoria helped auction off 19 runway looks for 210,000 euros.
‘Emily in Paris’ star William Abadie has introduced a walk-on role for Season 6 of the Netflix comedy. As bids reached €375,000, Abadi apparently received a call from series creator Darren Star, confirming that not one, but two people would be cast in the show. (Some may remember that amfAR auctioned off the role before Netflix officially renewed the show for a fifth season in 2024. This time, the awkwardness was avoided because the streamer had already greenlit a sixth and final season.)
Other big-ticket items at the auction included Chopard diamond earrings (sold for €600,000 to billionaire businessman Len Blavatnik), a custom Denza and Chopard car (€700,000), a one-of-a-kind George Condo x Audemars Piguet watch (€1.45 million), and an Andy Warhol Marilyn print (€2.8 million). amfAR raised a total of €17.2 million or $20 million. This should cover the cost of legendary auctioneer Simon de Pury’s gavel. This gavel he dramatically and accidentally broke at the end of the auction.
Lizzo was the first performer of the night, wowing the well-heeled crowd with her hit song “About Dumb Time.” Robbie Williams took to the stage at the halfway point and the models swayed to “Let Me Entertain You” and swayed as he sang “Angel.” The show ended with Zara Larsson performing the upbeat pop anthem ‘Lush Life’, the perfect kick-off to the afterparty which started just before 1am. Guests, including “Entourage” and original “The Devil Wears Prada” star Adrian Grenier, crossed the lawn to Eden Roc, munched on pizza and listened to a DJ set by Honey Dijon that played until the wee hours of the morning.
Scroll to see inside the event.
