By Luca Delpech
Where Two Worlds Collides
In Cannes, where red carpets unfurl like royal scrolls and cinema’s elite gather beneath the Mediterranean sun, a different kind of spotlight was cast—not on film premieres, but on humanity.
As the 77th Cannes Film Festival arrived in May 2024, the Global Gift Gala once again affirmed its place as more than a glittering sideshow. It stood, as it does each year, at the powerful intersection of wealth, celebrity, and moral responsibility—underscoring the transformative impact of collective generosity on vulnerable communities around the world.
At the crossroads of the global media machine and international philanthropy stands the Global Gift Gala—an event emblematic of Cannes’ evolving duality: cinematic excess tempered by charitable intent. Created by Spanish actress and social entrepreneur María Bravo, the Global Gift Foundation has, since its inception, cultivated a portfolio of over 18 annual events across London, Dubai, Paris, Marbella, and of course, Cannes.
Its flagship, the Global Gift Gala, held each year during the Cannes Film Festival, has grown from a cocktail of glamour and goodwill into one of the most consequential philanthropic gatherings in the European social calendar. In 2022, it claimed to have raised a record €3.6 million for charitable causes. By 2024, the event’s influence had expanded beyond fundraising alone—it had become a vehicle for visibility, leveraging the clout of celebrities to advance causes often lost in the media’s short attention span.
The Architecture of Compassion
The Global Gift Foundation’s mission—ambitious and intentionally global—is simple in words but complex in execution: to integrate vulnerable populations into their communities, particularly children, women, and families at risk of social exclusion. Based in Spain but operating in over 65 countries, the foundation supports both partner NGOs and its own initiatives. One such flagship project is Casa Ángeles, a day centre in Marbella that provides holistic care—including medical, psychological, and educational services—to children with chronic illnesses and special needs.
The foundation’s ethos is underpinned by transparency and ethical rigor. Annual financial reports are published detailing disbursements to various causes, including collaborations with organizations such as Fundación Querer, which focuses on educational and medical interventions for children with rare neurological conditions. In 2018, Fundación Querer itself donated €300,000 to another closely linked charity: the Eva Longoria Foundation.
Founded by actress and activist Eva Longoria, the foundation concentrates on empowering Latina women through education in business, STEM, and parenting—an example of how modern philanthropy is evolving to address both systemic inequality and intersectional identity.
“Ninety percent of my work now is social,”
A Gala Rooted in Glamour—and Responsibility
The 2024 edition of the Global Gift Gala took place atLa Môme Plage, a luxurious venue nestled against the cerulean backdrop of the Côte d’Azur. Beneath a velvet Riviera sky, the event unfolded in familiar cadence: arrivals, red carpet, mingling, dining, auction. Yet beneath the polished façade was a program of urgent intent.
Longoria, the evening’s anchor and honorary chair, arrived in a glittering sheer gown by Yanina Couture. Flanked by French actress Sylvie Tellier and UAE host Tom Urquhart, she gracefully oscillated between media duties and philanthropic appeals. “Ninety percent of my work now is social,” she confessed, highlighting a personal evolution from screen icon to activist.
The guest list—curated as meticulously as the menu—was a roll call of pan-European and transatlantic celebrity. Christina Milian delivered an impromptu musical set after Kendji Girac withdrew due to injury, while French singer Hélène Ségara brought gravitas with her emotional ballad “Il y a trop de gens qui t’aiment.” clinking glasses of Mouton Cadet—Bordeaux’s most internationally successful wine, which served again as a sponsor.
Large-format bottles of the iconic red were as omnipresent as camera flashes. Mouton Cadet, founded in 1930 by Baron Philippe de Rothschild and now under the stewardship of Philippine de Rothschild, provided more than just libations. The brand’s pivot toward social engagement has been strategic: aligning Bordeaux refinement with humanitarian outreach, positioning luxury as not just a lifestyle but a lever for change.
Beneath the Sequins: Substance and Strategy
While the visuals resembled a haute couture fever dream, the foundation’s agenda was anything but frivolous. One highlight of the night was the spirited live auction led by auctioneer Thomas Forrester. Items included a dinner with Eva Longoria, a sculpture by artist Richard Orlinski (who also received the Global Gift Utopia Award), and a live painting by Sacha Jafri. These transactions were more than charitable indulgences—they were acts of public virtue, wrapped in prestige.
Other award recipients included Javier Garcia, honored with the Global Gift Philanthropreneur Award, and actor Luke Evans, recognized for leveraging his celebrity for humanitarian causes. Longoria even put up her own jewelry for sale, further blurring the line between personal and public generosity.
The Foundation’s latest initiative—Heartbeat for Ukraine—served as a sobering reminder of philanthropy’s evolving context. Designed to address critical shortages in medical supplies and humanitarian relief for Ukrainians affected by war, the project signals a broader shift in the gala’s mission from local action to global response. As crises escalate, so too does the scope of its ambitions.
Couture, Cuisine, and Corporate Conscience
The gala’s success rests as much on its corporate partnerships as on its celebrity appeal. APM Monaco, the Riviera-inspired jewelry house, adorned several attendees, including Longoria herself. Michelin-starred chef Christian Le Squer curated the evening’s menu, pairing gastronomic elegance with champagne from BOLL&Cie and wine from Château Enclos Haut Mazeyres.
Beauty brands Huda Beauty, Wishful, and Kayali ensured every photo op sparkled, while Spanish designer Carla Ruiz dressed María Bravo in a bespoke creation that married cultural heritage with sartorial diplomacy.
Yet the gala is not simply about consumption with a conscience. It is a masterclass in branding philanthropy—not in the cynical sense, but in the strategic one. It understands that causes compete for attention, and that, in a world driven by spectacle, altruism sometimes needs a spotlight.
Cannes and the Continuum of Influence
The Global Gift Gala is not the only platform in Cannes wielding soft power. The 77th Festival de Cannes itself, presided over by director Greta Gerwig, was marked by an increasingly international lens. Sean Baker’s Anora took home the Palme d’Or; Payal Kapadia’s All We Imagine as Light claimed the Grand Prix; Jacques Audiard earned the Jury Prize for Emilia Pérez—each film a meditation on marginalization, identity, and hope.
This thematic alignment with the Global Gift Foundation’s mission was more than coincidental. It reflected an industry—both cinematic and philanthropic—in flux, and perhaps in search of shared purpose.
Philanthropy as Prestige, and Vice Versa.
The Global Gift Gala is, at its core, a study in modern humanitarianism: multilateral, celebrity-driven, and unapologetically beautiful. It is a rarefied space where billionaires, artists, and humanitarians clink glasses under chandeliers while plotting interventions for the most urgent crises of our time.
Yet it is also a reminder—if one were needed—that generosity must be as public as it is private. In a world where wealth is increasingly scrutinized, the Gala does not hide behind veils of discretion. It makes its giving visible, aspirational, and scalable.
In Cannes, where the world comes to watch, the Global Gift Gala makes sure the world also listens.
