Outside Cannes, stars shine for AIDS research at amfAR Gala hosted by Geena Davis

Celebrities including Rami Malek, Eva Longoria and Lizzo gathered on the grounds of the immaculate Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc on Thursday evening (May 21) for the amfAR Gala to raise money for HIV/AIDS research.

Oscar winner Geena Davis returned to the event after nearly three decades to host this year's gala on the sidelines of the Cannes Film Festival in the French Riviera village of Antibes.

In addition to Lizzo, singer-songwriters Robbie Williams and Zara Larsson provided the entertainment for the black-tie crowd in between auction rounds at the event, where the least expensive supporter ticket runs to 17,500 euros ($20,336.75).

Items on the auction block included the Philip Colbert sculpture "Reclining Lobster," a seven-day private Arctic expedition and a walk-on role in Season 6 of "Emily in Paris."

"The world is in such a dark place, so any chance that we have to be able to be some sort of light is so important," said actor and singer Sofia Carson, best known as a former Disney star who has transitioned into film and producing.

The amfAR gala, first championed by screen icon Elizabeth Taylor in 1993, has to date raised more than $300 million towards research on HIV/AIDS, according to the organizers.

"It's not over yet. We've made progress. It's progress we embrace and we're very proud of. But as I like to say, we can see the finish line right now," amfAR CEO Kyle Clifford told Reuters before the dinner.

Davis, whose performance in road movie "Thelma & Louise" features on the film festival's poster this year, is no stranger to philanthropy, having founded the Geena Davis Institute for equitable media representation in 2004.

The actor, known for "A League of Their Own" and "Beetlejuice," will be starring in Netflix series "The Boroughs," from "Stranger Things" makers the Duffer Brothers, which also launches globally on Thursday.

-Oliver Barth, Francesca Halliwell, Miranda Murray/Reuters