Sunday brought the amFAR travesty to the Venice Film Festival.
amFAR, whose purpose and finances have been questioned over and over, had trouble getting celebrities.
None of the A listers who have attended the filmbu fest came to amFAR. Not George Clooney, not Brad Pitt, or Julianne Moore, or Angelina Jolie or anyone.
amFAR honored Richard Gere, which was nice. But the best musical guest they could get was Rumer Willis, who’s not exactly Cher or Kylie Minoqgue. (Rumer is a good singer, but she’s not A or B List.)
Eva Longoria, Kate Beckinsale and Zac Efron made the scene. They are probably unaware or don’t care that amFAR has been taken over by Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Film Festival.
Red Sea says they have nothing to do with the Saudi royal family or government, but to believe that exhibits a level of naivete left to small third world tribes. The Red Sea Film Festival is using the royal family’s money to sink its claws wherever it can.
This is the same Saudi family that chopped Jamal Khashoggi into little pieces, that hates gays and women and curtails most civil rights.
Publicists for the celebrities that didn’t go to amFAR will tell you it was “scheduling.” But they know what’s up. Gere and Longoria, at least, should be smarter than that. Gere, especially, considering his heroic efforts for Tibet.
amFAR has sunk lower than Venice itself.
