Academy Award winning actress and UN Messenger of Peace, Charlize Theron hosted an event benefitting The Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project (CTAOP) at Universal Studios Backlot on Saturday night.
The event was an outdoor block party that included a special outdoor screening of Universal Pictures’ new Fast & Furious film, F9, an auction with proceeds benefiting CTAOP and an exclusive Q&A with the stars and filmmakers of F9, including Charlize, Vin Diesel, Jordana Brewster and director Justin Lin. The Q & A was moderated by Paul Scheer and June Diane Raphael.
The night also featured music by DJ Rashida, a graffiti artist, dancers, photo activation, tarot card reader and several cars from F9. Other guests in attendance included Seth Rogen, January Jones, Chelsea Handler, Kate Beckinsale, Thuso Mbedu, Paris Jackson, Lilly Singh, Taika Waititi, Jason Reitman, Connie Britton, Sung Kang, Kevin Kreider and David Oyelowo. The event’s presenting sponsor was Coin Cloud and additional sponsors included Dior, Elephant Cooperation, Universal Pictures, Bloomberg, WME, Pernod Ricard, Breitling and PlaneAire.
Created in 2007, The Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project empowers African youth to keep themselves safe from HIV and AIDS by supporting their health, education and communities. The organization does this by supporting innovative community-based organizations working directly with African youth, providing college scholarships to motivated young changemakers in South Africa and by using CTAOP’s voice and network to advocate for proven methods to prevent the spread of HIV and protect those affected by it.
CTAOP’s main vision is a more equitable future where ALL young people can stay healthy and safe.
In 2020, CTAOP launched the ‘Together for Her’ campaign, in partnership with CARE & Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF), to support the safety of women and children around the world during the COVID-19 pandemic. With support from more than 60 influencers including Sheryl Sandberg, Megan Rapinoe, Octavia Spencer, Annie Lennox, Viola Davis, Natalie Portman, Stella McCartney, Reese Witherspoon, Ariana Grande and more, over $1 million was granted out to 37 different programs operating in 9 different countries. In addition, CTAOP granted $570,000 in COVID-19 emergency relief funds to Program Partners on the ground in support of their community level COVID relief work.
