Back in Venice at the awards dinner at the Hotel Cipriani, where lobster and champagne are being served under massive Murano chandeliers in a cavernous 19th-century former granary, Giannini sits next to Charlotte Casiraghi. She’s wearing an embroidered black-on-black leopard-print gown from her fall collection—and no neck brace. Did she even consider wearing the brace tonight, in front of the cameras? “Not really!” she says with a laugh. Hayek steps up to the podium and makes a stirring case for more equality in the movie business, citing stark statistics. “In the film industry, pornography is actually the only place where women make more money than men!” the actress says. During breaks, Giannini slips into the outdoor tent to schmooze with Italian clients and check out photos on her pal Ginevra Elkann’s BlackBerry.
After the ceremony, there’s a photo call for Schoonmaker and some of the nominees, who include the Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy and the Lebanese actress and director Nadine Labaki. Giannini and Hayek join them, and they all huddle in an embrace that evolves into a group hug. Obaid Chinoy looks a bit out of place, since she’s wearing a bright orange jumpsuit, designed by her friend Maheen Karim. Everyone else is wearing Gucci.
