The magic of the Venice Film Festival is real, as I discovered—on the screen and the red carpets, the vaporettos and the streets of Lido. Venice is now considered the first stop on the yellow brick road to the Oscars, where awards contenders find their first rapt audiences. But much of the glamour of the festival manifests itself behind the scenes, in the parties and galas held in hotels, old industrial buildings, or on the tiny islands dotted around Venice.
One of the grandest rituals is the annual amfAR gala, held on Sunday night at the Arsenale di Venezia to fundraise for AIDS research. A succession of water taxis pulled up at the dock of the former arsenal, releasing a seemingly endless stream of starlets (and wannabe-starlets) in outrageous gowns and precarious heels, gingerly making their way toward the bright lights of the cameras awaiting them.
Singer Halsey, somehow looking both sultry and gamine in a lace-bodiced gown and cropped hair, laughed her way down the red carpet. Accompanied by actor Avian Jogia, Halsey struggled at times to control the feathers on her dress. Feathers seemed to be in the air at amfAR—quite literally at one point during dinner as feathers flew off an attendee’s dress and landed on a stranger’s appetizer. Paris Jackson—daughter of Michael and one of the evening’s musical performers—arrived looking like a bird of paradise in a colorful gown and feather earrings.
Industry and Bodies Bodies Bodies star Myha’la bucked the fowl trend, wearing instead a big Afro and a little black dress, while Sofia Carson floated into the gala in a pale pink couture confection. Asked if her life had changed much since My Oxford Year made her a known quantity, she said that it had—though pressed as to why, she couldn’t explain, and quickly returned to posing for cameras. Sasha Baron Cohen, on the other hand, flew under the radar, quietly making his way round the party with alter egos Borat and Ali G nowhere in sight.
Over cocktails, Colman Domingo, host of this year’s event, greeted arrivals in a dapper green jacquard jacket and big gala energy. He answered every question with a smile and an elegant response that circled back to amfAR and its stellar mission. When asked about his forthcoming Jackson biopic, for instance, Domingo mentioned how excited he was to have Paris at the event with him.
