Film Stars Help Raise $88,000 for Afghan Kids

Tue Feb 12, 6:20 AM ET

By Adam Tanner

BERLIN (Reuters) - A charity gala hosted by French actress Catherine Deneuve raised more than 100,000 euros ($88,000) for Afghan children by auctioning clothes worn by Julia Roberts and other memorabilia, organizers said Tuesday.

The black tie, 500-euro-a-plate dinner in a grand 19th century concert hall brought together director Robert Altman, actor Donald Sutherland, former tennis star Boris Becker, musician Bob Geldof, Berlin Mayor Klaus Wowereit and 450 others.

A short leather skirt and see-through sequined shirt Roberts wore in her Academy Award-winning performance as Erin Brockovich was auctioned for 7,000 euros at the dinner Monday evening.

Volker Schloendorff, director of the 1979 Oscar-winning film "The Tin Drum," tried to heighten interest by parading the skimpy wear atop a mannequin between tables.

German actress Veronica Ferres paid 5,200 euros for a canvas director's chair used by Roman Polanski, and another bidder paid 5,400 euros for a silver hook hand from the 1991 Robin Williams' film "Hook." Dinner with Spanish opera singer Jose Carreras brought in 4,200 euros.

Among the evening's top earners were a special edition of a German encyclopaedia which brought in 15,000 euros and a training session with Ukrainian boxer Vitali Klitschko, which went for 13,000 euros.

Diners practiced a bit of good health by observing a ban on smoking in the central hall, though Deneuve, as hostess and reigning star, ignored the regulation.

The auction raised about 100,000 euros for a UNICEF fund for Afghan children, and the dinner earned additional funds although the final tally is not complete, said organizer Claudia Evers.

The gala took place midway through the Berlinale film festival, in which 23 films vie for the top Golden Bear prize and thousands of fans flock to see 400 different films.

Deneuve's "8 Femmes" (Eight Women), a cross between an Agatha Christie mystery and popular theater with some cinematic jokes added is among the films that have had their international premiere at the festival.

($1=1.136 Euro)