amfAR 30th Cannes Gala Glam By The Ocean: Demi Moore-Hosted Event Raises $16M With Nick & Joe Jonas, Cher Performances

Forget about all the studio-thrown premiere after-parties at prior Cannes, from Paramount’s Rocketman with Elton John performing at the beach, and Warner Bros’ Elvis which touted a King of Rock ‘n’ Roll drone show. amfAR’s annual gala, this year counting 30 years, blew them all away, capped off early Friday AM by a mind-blowing mini-concert by Cher who got the crowd on its feet after a four-hour auction with such hits as “Believe” and “If I Could Turn Back Time” and covers of Abba’s “Waterloo” and Marc Cohn’s “Walking in Memphis”. Vocally and in regards to sheer stage dynamic, Cher, at 78, is a force to be reckoned with; delivering a truly unforgettable pitch-perfect performance.

Throughout the course of its 30 years, the amfAR gala has raised over a quarter of a billion dollars in which this year’s host Demi Moore exclaimed has “become the most single important night in the fight against HIV.” Last night, amfAR racked up $16 million with a mélange of fashion gowns, various art work and experiences auctioned off.

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“There is a bigger goal, HIV must be eradicated, and we can’t settle for anything else less than a cure, that’s amfAR’s goal, that’s why we’re here. It’s why this night is important,” said Moore who herself is a longtime donor to AIDS research.

It’s quite often said that the fundraiser (the AIDS research org was founded by the late Dr. Mathilda Krim and Dame Elizabeth Taylor in 1985) is past its heyday, that the event used to attract more stars when Harvey Weinstein was a lynchpin at the soiree. Judging from last night, who could really tell? For those patrons and runway models in attendance, they didn’t get one performance by a rock star, but three as Nick and Joe Jonas took the stage to perform their 5X platinum hit “Cake by the Ocean” — it was a moment ripe for bodysurfing, not that any partook, though there was a lot of bouncing. Prior to his brother stepping on stage, Nick Jonas pulled off a rendition of Franki Valli’s “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You,” the multi-hyphenate appearing in a Jersey Boys movie later this year. Also, English “Rather Be” singer Jess Glynne kicked off the night.

In attendance, were Rustin best actor nominee Colman Domingo, Fast & Furious star Michelle Rodriguez, Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh, star of this Cannes’ The Apprentice and Borat Oscar nominee Maria Bakalova, Andie MacDowell, Kelly Rowland, Heidi Klum, The Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson (who auctioned off a Chris Levine painting of her late mother-in-law, Queen Elizabeth II for $515K), Magic Johnson, among many others.

But most of all, there was a white Loewe gown-clad Moore, hosting this year’s event for a second time; the actress technically attending her first Cannes Film Festival this year with a movie in competition, her big screen comeback, Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance (it wouldn’t be shocking tomorrow night if Moore wins Best Actress at the 77th fest edition for her turn as an over-the-hill TV aerobics personality pining for her youth).

Moore shared that the last time she hosted the amfAR event was in 1997: “I happened to be a pinch hitter because the great Elizabeth Taylor personally called me because she couldn’t make it last minute. And let me tell you, those are big shoes to fill. Almost impossible.”

“I personally want to dedicate this night to her effort,” added Moore.

Still, it was clear watching the Prada, the Gaurav Gupta, the Vivienne Westwood, the Lever, and Nina Ricci gowns spill down the red carpet stairs into the du Cap’s balcony ledge of the Mediterranean Sea, that what the amfAR gala is also about is the rivaling of out-worldly and classy risqué gowns.

Who’s that over there in the gold feather headdress and slitted gold leaf get-up? Is that one of the Bene Gesserit sisters from Dune? No, silly, it’s Canadian model Coco Rocha, also a presenter during the night, making a splash in Yanina.

It says something about the event when the star of a $7 billion plus action franchise, Rodriguez –looking elegantly glam in a silver sequined, braided light peach-tan dress– is bowled over by another model’s dress. “Damn, girl, what are you wearing?” the Fast & Furious star asked the metallic belt and shimmery glass stone clad Natasha Ploy. “Dolce & Gabbana,” the Russian model answered. If you’re a model, amfAR is a date you can’t miss, the elegance of the affair outshining Oscars attire as if that event was a Vermont tractor pull.

Underscoring how fashion is another centerpiece of the fundraiser, there was the Carine Roitfeld curated amfAR fashion show which had the theme this year of “Fairy Tales,” myriad notable brands designing dresses around that theme. Read, Chanel created the mousseline dress ala Maleficent‘s horned character, Givenchy had a green flower gown inspired by the Wicked Witch from Wizard of Oz, Louis Vuitton had a fitted blazer/balloon sleeves/black dress and a model with Danish roll hairdo in the spirit of Star Wars‘ Princess Leia, Courreges served up a plastic blue encrusted circle short dress and white boots in a nod to Elsa from Frozen, the list goes on. All 26 dresses were paraded throughout the amfAR tent and were auctioned off in one swoop for 500K Euros ($541K) to former hedge fund manager and arts patron Christian Levett. He also took home the night’s biggest prize, a green and purple blotch painting by Kenny Scharf for 900K Euros ($975K). Levett is opening the first museum in Europe dedicated to female artists in Southern France. As of next month, his Mougins Museum of Classical Art (MACM), which first opened in 2011, will be rebranded the Femmes Artistes du Musee de Mougins (FAMM).

Before singing “Believe,” Cher shared, “I was dropped by my record company and one day, my manager [the late Billy Sammeth] who was my best friend came in and said, ‘You know, my self-esteem is too sewn up in your talent and I don’t need you anymore.’ I was thinking, ‘Fuck me!’ So, then, I was like, ‘I don’t know what to do.’ A man from England…who said, ‘I still believe in you, come here! I got a song for you to sing and we’ll see what happens.’ And this is what it was.”

Other prolific auction pieces of the night included a walk-on role for season 5 of Netflix’s Emily in Paris going for $250K as well as a Cher experience –meaning lunch with the Oscar winner and multi-platinum performer–going for $163K.

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