Article Summary: amfAR Venezia returns to the Molino Stucky on Giudecca tonight for its sixth Venice edition. Pamela Anderson receives the Award of Courage and Marina Abramović the Award of Inspiration, with Taika Waititi hosting, Bebe Rexha headlining and Mimi Webb opening — all under new amfAR CEO Kyle Clifford. #amfAR #amfARVenezia #PamelaAnderson #MarinaAbramovic #TaikaWaititi #BebeRexha #VeniceFilmFestival #RedCarpet #Chopard #RunwayMagazine
Pamela Anderson and Marina Abramović take the two top honors at amfAR Venezia on Sunday night, the AIDS research foundation’s sixth annual gala in the city. Taika Waititi hosts. The black-tie evening lands on the busiest social night of the 83rd Venice International Film Festival, and amfAR Venice 2026 arrives with a new chief executive at the helm.
amfAR Venezia returns to the Hilton Molino Stucky on Giudecca on Sept. 6, 2026, for its sixth annual edition. Pamela Anderson receives the Award of Courage and Marina Abramović the Award of Inspiration. Taika Waititi hosts, Bebe Rexha headlines the musical entertainment, and Mimi Webb opens the evening.
Who Is Being Honored at amfAR Venezia 2026?
Anderson takes the Award of Courage. amfAR chief executive Kyle Clifford said the actress has consistently used her platform to raise awareness for a range of causes, and he called her willingness to fight for her beliefs an inspiration.
Abramović receives the Award of Inspiration. The Serbian conceptual and performance artist has spent five decades testing the limits of the body and endurance in her work, and she won the Golden Lion for Best Artist at the 1997 Venice Biennale. Clifford cited both her artistry and her long support of people living with HIV and AIDS.
The two join a run of recent amfAR Venezia honorees that includes Antonio Banderas, Richard Gere, Ava DuVernay, Ferzan Özpetek, Mohammed Al Turki and, most recently, Julian Schnabel.
The Performers and the Host
Waititi presides over the room. Rexha headlines the music, and Webb opens the night. Both singers perform inside a program that also carries a live auction of contemporary art and one-of-a-kind experiences.
Auction lots posted ahead of the gala include a digital avatar and private lunch with Abramović, Chopard haute joaillerie earrings, a stay from the Zanzibar Collection’s Baraza Resort and Spa, and works by Mauro Perucchetti and Mr. Brainwash.
Where and When Is the amfAR Gala During the Venice Film Festival?
The gala runs Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026, at the Hilton Molino Stucky Venice, the converted flour mill on Giudecca. The festival itself runs Sept. 2 through 12 on the Lido, so the amfAR crowd crosses the water for the night.
This is the sixth annual edition in Venice, and the first under Clifford, who was recently appointed amfAR’s chief executive. The foundation has raised more than $10 million across its Venice galas since the first one. Last year’s edition alone brought in over $3.4 million.
The World Gold Council is presenting sponsor. Chopard returns as signature sponsor, the Hilton Molino Stucky Venice serves as supporting sponsor, and Variety is media partner.
What Is Place to Be, Pamela Anderson’s Venice Film?
Anderson is not in Venice only for the ballroom. She appears in “Place to Be,” directed by Kornél Mundruczó, which sits in this year’s festival program. Ellen Burstyn and Waititi co-star.
Burstyn collects her own honor next week, when the festival gives her the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement. Artistic director Alberto Barbera credited her half-century of work in American cinema and the depth she has brought to female characters.
The film marks another step in a run of work that has reframed Anderson’s public image over the past few years. Her turn in “The Last Showgirl” drew awards attention, and she has increasingly stripped back the celebrity codes that defined her in the 1990s.
What to Expect on the amfAR Venice 2026 Carpet
Guests arrive at the Molino Stucky in black tie, which historically produces a heavier concentration of gowns and couture than the Lido premieres do. Chopard’s sponsorship also tends to put significant high jewelry on the carpet.
Venice 2026 has already leaned hard on archival fashion. Kendall Jenner opened her run in a Giorgio Armani gown from fall 1995, and Nicola Peltz Beckham took the Kinéo Rising Star Award on Saturday in couture reported as Balenciaga. Amal Clooney went the other direction in current-season Tom Ford by Haider Ackermann. Sunday night gives all three approaches another stage.
Key Takeaways
- amfAR Venezia 2026 runs Sept. 6 at the Hilton Molino Stucky on Giudecca, the gala’s sixth annual Venice edition.
- Pamela Anderson receives the Award of Courage; Marina Abramović receives the Award of Inspiration.
- Taika Waititi hosts, Bebe Rexha headlines and Mimi Webb opens, under new amfAR CEO Kyle Clifford.
Runway Magazine will update this report with confirmed looks and the auction total once the evening closes. For more from the Lido, follow our red carpet coverage, and learn more about Runway Magazine.
