Dillon, Ricci to chair DIFF’s amfAR night

Mandy Moore to perform at the third annual Cinema Against Aids Dubai gala on December 10

UNDER THE PATRONAGE of Princess Haya Al Hussein, Matt Dillon, Christina Ricci, and Mandy Moore will appear at the third annual Cinema Against AIDS Dubai benefit on behalf of amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research on December 10, 2009.

As chairs of the event, along with Special Chair Queen Noor of Jordan, and fellow Event Chairs Abdul Majid Al Fahim, Louis Ferla, Milutin Gatsby, and Dubai International Film Festival Chairman Abdulhamid M. Juma, Dillon and Ricci will help raise funds for amfAR’s HIV/AIDS programmes and heighten awareness of the AIDS epidemic in the Gulf region. Cinema Against AIDS Dubai will be presented by the Dubai International Film Festival and sponsored by Dubai Pearl.

The black-tie gala will take place at The Gate at the Dubai International Financial Centre. Following the successful format of amfAR’s other Cinema Against AIDS events, including the long-running Cinema Against AIDS Cannes, the evening will feature a dinner, entertainment, and a celebrity-filled live auction, with all proceeds going directly to amfAR’s life-saving HIV/AIDS programmes. Actress and acclaimed singer Mandy Moore will deliver a special performance.

AmfAR’s first Cinema Against AIDS benefit was held in Cannes during the 1993 International Film Festival and hosted by Dame Elizabeth Taylor, amfAR’s founding international chairman. Taylor was one of the first in Hollywood who spoke out about HIV/AIDS in the early 1980s. Since then, amfAR has had a long tradition of increasing awareness and raising funds for this cause all over the world. Sharon Stone, amfAR’s global fundraising chair, now carries on what Elizabeth Taylor began by traveling internationally for the Foundation and tirelessly working to raise HIV/AIDS awareness and support for AIDS research.

The film and entertainment communities have been committed and generous supporters of amfAR and the fight against AIDS since the start of the epidemic, and the Cinema Against AIDS galas have proven to be among the most high profile and consistently successful events worldwide. Cinema Against AIDS has also been held on various occasions during the Rome, Venice, Sundance, and Toronto film festivals.

Since 1993, these signature amfAR benefits have played a pivotal role in focusing attention on the continued fight against AIDS and have generated more than $48 million in support for the Foundation’s AIDS research programmes.