Cannes FF: Not on Our Watch

Clooney to Hold Darfur Fundraiser at Cannes

George Clooney is putting his resources to work at the Cannes Film Festival next month. He’s lining up a screening of his movie, “Ocean’s Thirteen,” to raise money for the besieged Darfur region of Sudan. The film’s producer, Jerry Weintraub, is helping put this together. The fundraiser, sources say, is set for May 22, two days before the Steven Soderbergh thriller has its official Cannes premiere at the Palais de la Croisette. That means “O13″ will get two big parties. It must be a blockbuster. This also means good things for the people of Darfur and the people of Cannes. For the latter, it’s expected then that the all-star cast of “Ocean’s Thirteen” — including Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Brad Pitt, Ellen Barkin, etc. — will be in town for most of the week, including Wednesday night’s amfAR dinner. For the people of Darfur, it means worldwide media exposure for a horrific situation. Clooney has been steadily working for Darfur for some time. Most recently, he flew over the Christmas holiday to China and to Egypt, looking to find allies in his quest to assist the Sudanese people. He’s also appeared in front of the United Nations pleading a case that shouldn’t be so hard to accept. Clooney, by the way, has set up a new charitable foundation to disburse all the money he collects for Darfur. He’s joined by his “Ocean’s Thirteen” producer Weintraub, Cheadle, Damon and Pitt. It’s called Not on Our Watch, and Weintraub tells me it’s already registered and ready to go. (Fox News)