GIORGIO ARMANI AND SEAN PENN JOIN FORCES IN GLOBAL SUPPORT OF HAITIAN RELIEF ORGANIZATION (J/P HRO)

GIORGIO ARMANI AND SEAN PENN JOIN FORCES IN GLOBAL SUPPORT OF HAITIAN RELIEF ORGANIZATION (J/P HRO)

Giorgio Armani is pleased to announce he is joining forces with his longtime friend, the esteemed actor and humanitarian Sean Penn, for a year-long initiative in support of J/P HRO (Haitian Relief Organization).The collaboration will be launched on Friday May 18 at the Agora Pavilion, when Giorgio Armani presents and sponsors "Haiti: Carnival in Cannes," one of the main events during the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. The partnership will continue throughout the year, highlighted with events in Paris, New York and Los Angeles, along with fact-finding missions on the ground in Haiti.

The charity dinner, an official historic event presented by the Festival de Cannes, will be hosted by Sean Penn, Paul Haggis, supermodel Petra Nemcova, Gilles Jacob and Cannes Festival executive director Thierry Fremaux. Event chairs are Senator Chris Dodd, CAA's Bryan Lourd, Giorgio Armani and Roberta Armani. It will include a performance by musical artist Lyle Lovett, a concert of RaRa and Racine music performed by RAM, The gala fundraiser is the first of its kind for the Festival de Cannes since the benefit screening of Il était une fois, l’Amérique by Sergio Leone in 1984 in support of the Institut Pasteur, and the screening of Paolo and Vittorio Taviani’s film Elective Affinities in 1996, in support of the reconstruction of the Fenice.

The event will also benefit two other non-profit organizations that are well known for their extraordinary commitment to the Caribbean nation: Artists for Peace and Justice, founded by director and activist Paul Haggis, and Happy Heart’s Fund, created by model and philanthropist Petra Nemcova.

"Haiti: Carnival in Cannes" will raise awareness and funds for Penn’s J/P HRO, which he established in 2010 after the devastating earthquake that ravaged that country. J/P HRO has become a leader in Haiti across multiple sectors working to improve living conditions in the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps and surrounding neighborhoods by clearing rubble, providing medical services, education and enrichment programs, housing construction and neighborhood redevelopment. J/P HRO's main objective remains to help displaced people get back to durable, safer and permanent homes in revitalized neighborhoods.

"I’m very grateful to my friend Giorgio Armani for his generous support of J/P HRO,” said Penn, CEO of J/P HRO and Ambassador at Large for Haiti. “The rebuilding of Haiti is going to take a sustained effort from passionate individuals for many years to come. I’m honored to have Mr. Armani by my side.”

Noted Mr. Armani: "I am proud to stand alongside Sean Penn, a man cut from a very rare cloth. He first captivated me as an astonishing actor. Then as a respected director. Then as a loyal friend. And now, as a life changer. It is an honor to be a part of Sean's remarkable life of service by joining his humanitarian efforts for the people of Haiti. For this to come to fruition at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival marks a career milestone for me, and demonstrates what happens when you work with Sean, a world-class force of nature."

To purchase tickets or for event inquiries please email HaitiRSVP@veventpro.com  or call 310-928-3880.