PARIS, May 17, 2006/ FW/ --- All eyes might be on the ‘Da Vinci Code’ today as the movie premieres at Cannes Film Festival, but on Thursday, May 25, generosity and camaraderie take center stage as amfAR (American Foundation for AIDS Research) holds its annual Cinema Against AIDS gala fundraising event.

With Sharon Stone, Sir Elton John, David Furnish, Sofia Coppola, Jeanne Moreau, Michel Litvak, Vincent Roberti, Peter Lindbergh, Carine Roitfeld, Giorgio Armani, Harvey Weinstein and amfAR’s Chairman of the Board, Kenneth Cole serving as chairs plus Dame Elizabeth Taylor, amfAR’s founding international chairman and Dr. Mathilde Krim, amfAR’s founding chairman, the evening’s honorary chairs, amfAR’s Cinema Against AIDS is more than just a star-studded event.

It has also become a statement of generosity of spirit and willingness to be ‘brothers-in-arms’ as the world fights its battle against HIV/AIDS.

With Bold Films, Palisades Pictures and The Weinstein Company, as main sponsors, the gala will be held at Le Moulin de Mougins and will feature a formal dinner along with amfAR’s world-renowned live auction.

Harvey Weinstein and Sharon Stone, tireless advocates for AIDS research and amfAR, will conduct the much-anticipated live auction with the assistance of several of the event chairs and other celebrities in the room.

In years past, the auction has seen legendary impromptu performances by such stars as Sir Elton John, Natalie Cole, Liza Minnelli, Sheryl Crow, Ringo Starr, Lionel Richie, Macy Gray, and Shirley Bassey.

Last year’s live auction, which was conducted by Weinstein and Sharon Stone, raised $2 million and involved the participation of Liza Minnelli, Salma Hayek, Penelope Cruz, Jessica Alba, Benicio del Toro, Javier Bardem, Brittany Murphy, and Chris Tucker, among others.

The event’s environment will be art directed by French Vogue’s editor in chief, Carine Roitfeld, in collaboration with Giorgio Armani.

Part of the evening’s proceedings will be the exhibition, ‘Portraits of Actors.’ Sponsored by Gianfranco Ferré, ‘Portraits of Actors’ is dedicated to the art of one of the greatest exponents of contemporary photography, Peter Lindbergh. The exhibition will form the exceptional “setting” for the traditional amfAR gala dinner.

amfAR’s annual Cinema Against AIDS gala has been an important and successful fund-raising event for the Foundation since 1993, generating more than $18 million for essential AIDS research.

For more information about amfAR please log on: www.amfar.org