Cannes gala raises over $25 mn for fight against AIDS

The traditional gala organized by the American Foundation for AIDS Research, or amfAR, in Antibes, a town near Cannes, raised over $25 million this year, the foundation said Friday.

The gala at the Hotel du CapEdenRoc is among the events that attract the largest number of Hollywood stars on the sidelines of the Cannes Film Festival, and this year it featured celebrities Kevin Spacey, Milla Jovovich, Adrien Brody, Heidi Klum, Leonardo DiCaprio, Katy Perry, Helen Mirren, Uma Thurman, Orlando Bloom and Kirsten Dunst, among others.

During Thursday’s gala, Spacey imitated Bill Clinton and Al Pacino; one bidder also paid $575,000 for the opportunity to spend a day with Spacey in Washington.

But the most valuable piece of the auction was publisher Taschen’s private library, regarded as the most comprehensive in the world and stored in a structure designed by architect Jean Prouve.

The private library was sold for $2.7 million.

A total of $500,000 was donated for the opportunity for 12 people to spend a week at Leonardo diCaprio’s house in Palm Springs, California.

Adrien Brody auctioned for more than $500,000 his “Jumbo Dropfish” painting, while a Ferrari 458, donated by Lapo Elkann, raised $1.1 million.

The gala, which included a performance by the Village People of their classic “Y.M.C.A.,” closed with performances by Katy Perry, who sang some of her hits like “Roar,” “Teenage Dream,” “I Kissed a Girl” and “Dark Horse.”