It turns out that Ben Affleck has more on his mind than his latest film, “Gone Baby Gone.” For the last several years, he has been an active participant in “Cinema Against AIDS.” Like Jamie Lee Curtis, he is one of many who work towards ending the AIDS tragedy.

Cinema Against AIDS is an annual event is one of “the most widely publicized and anticipated events in charity circles,” and this year, it’s being held in Rome. The program is working with amfAR’s Campaign for AIDS Research, which uses the Black-Tie Celebrity Auction Event to raise money. Participating Celebrities include Ben Affleck, Lance Armstrong, Carla Bruni, Hugh Grant, George Clooney, Paris Hilton, Johnny Depp, Nicole Kidman, Liza Minnelli, Robin Williams, and many others. This year, the event will take place October 26.

Since 1985, amfAR, the Foundation for AIDS Research, has raised more than $260 million for AIDS research and prevention. Additionally, amfAR has awarded grants to more than 2,000 AIDS research teams.

More than 35 million people worldwide, 2 million of them children, are infected with AIDS. Africa alone has more than 25 million children who are orphaned because of AIDS. With the help of programs like Cinema Against AIDS, which is working with amfAR’s Campaign for AIDS research, that deadly trend could some day be changed.

This year alone, amfAR has already raised $28 million, even before the auction. This year, the auction is scheduled to take place at Spazio Etoile in the Piazza S. Lorenzo in Lucina. Following the event, dancing and entertainment will be held at Palazzo Fendi.

Typically, the Cinema Against AIDS live auction event is held during the Cannes Film Festival, and is the most lively party the Festival sees. Though many of the participants are a part of the Festival, big names from the fashion, business, and music industries also come to participate in the event.

In addition to Cinema Against AIDS, amfAR has two other events coming up, the Two By Two For AIDS and Art, taking place in Dallas, Texas October 23 through 28, and the San Francisco Fall Gala which will be taking place the first of November, 2007. Still other events include the September 25th event, which was sponsored by “Rock and Republic” and “Rock The Cure.” This silent auction raised approximately $150,000 for AIDS research.

To learn more about amfAR and their work as well as what you can do, go to www.amfar.org.

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