Tarina Patel and Kate Beckinsale party together at amfAR Gala in Venice

South African actress and producer Tarina Patel kicked off the 81st Venice International Film Festival by attending the prestigious amfAR Gala at Hangar Nicelli Lido Di Venezia, in Venice, Italy.

Sunday night gala was attended by a bevy of celebrities, including Richard Gere, Antonio Banderas, Kelly Rowland, Eva Longoria, Maria Borges, Zac Efron and Rumer Willis.

Patel turned heads in a show-stopping bespoke gown of blush silk, organza and crystals by Bulgarian designer Loretti by Lora Lilova, accompanied by a matching tulle cape and rose gold Thalie handbag accented with crystals.

The Cape Town-born beauty spent time at the gala with host of the evening, actress Kate Beckinsale.

“She was so charming, and in person, she’s quite petite, wearing the highest of heels,” Patel told TimesLIVE.

“If my heels were like three inches, which is nothing, right? Kate, well, I’m not joking, probably had double that heel height or more. So everything was in slow motion at one point. As she was the host of amfAR, she had to create video content and we were both filming in the same spot — so when Kate finished, I had to help her get down this big step so that she wouldn’t trip.”

The event, which raises funds for HIV/Aids research, awarded Richard Gere the amfAR Award of Inspiration. Gere has spent more than two decades campaigning for Aids awareness and created Healing the Divide, a charity helping communities in Asia, the Middle East and the US handle HIV/Aids awareness, back in 2002.

Patel was host of the “Avengers Expedition”, an auction prize that was ranked as one of the highest fundraising items of the evening, which included Andy Warhol art, an exhibition tour with Julian Lennon and Helios Jewellery presented by the World Gold Council.

The prize entitles six people to embark on a life-changing luxury safari, hosted by Patel in South Africa, curated by the Tintra Foundation which is a nonprofit organisation focused on securing indigenous wisdom through artificial intelligence.

“Simon (De Pury) is a world-class auctioneer, and he did an amazing job of auctioning the various items donated by celebrities and various organisations around the world,” added Patel.

“Our prize includes staying at exclusive seven-star game lodges, private jets, helicopters, working with anti-poaching units, dehorning a rhino, meeting the world’s top conservationists and working with a National Geographic photographer to capture the highlights.

“I worked with conservationists in South Africa to organise the logistics, and brought in the Tintra Foundation, who generously donated the prize. I’m honoured to be able to host the experience and represent my country, bringing forward the world of conservation, and bringing awareness to wildlife conservation and preservation of endangered species.”

TimesLIVE