77th Venice Film Festival: Cate Blanchett leads red carpet arrivals

Jury President Cate Blanchett was among the glamorous arrivals on the Lacci red carpet for the opening ceremony of the socially distanced 77th Venice Film Festival in the Italian city on Wednesday evening.

The Academy Award-winning actress, 51, stood out from the crowd in a form-fitting glitzy monochrome gown, which was covered in black sequins and boasted a white trim.

The Blue Jasmine star added further sparkle to her ensemble with a statement necklace, while also sporting a selection of silver rings. 

She boosted her frame with a pair of simple yet chic black stilettos, adding height to her already statuesque frame as she posed on the red carpet. 

Cate ensured she followed safety guidelines at the event as she wore a mask over her face while mixing with other stars at the A-list event.

One of the stars joining her at the film festival was her Benjamin Button co-star Tilda Swinton, 59, who opted for a novel way of covering her face  with a gold butterfly mask. 

Tilda posed for pictures with the gold face covering, which brought some glamour to her white and black ensemble, consisting of a white blouse and frilly black maxi skirt. 

The Uncut Gems actress wore her rose gold locks in a voluminous up do, while enhancing her striking features with a rosy pallet of make-up.

Also in attendance was model Taylor Hill, 24, who looked stunning in a cut-out skin-baring gown. 

Taylor cut an elegant figure in the paisley print dress in hues of pink and purple, which she adorned with a selection of dazzling jewels. 

Taylor wore her brunette locks up in a chic plaited up do, while enhancing her striking features with a heavy pallet of make-up in bronze tones. 

The Venice Film Festival is one of the world’s oldest award ceremonies and is listed as one of the ‘Big Five’ events. It starts on 2 September and ends on the 12 September. 

Though the event is still taking place, it is a markedly toned down affair to previous years amid the coronavirus crisis, with temperature checks and mask wearing becoming mandatory. 

According to Variety, when the Film Festival unveiled its official selection in late July, the ‘unprecedented inclusion of eight female-directed titles within the 18-film roster was heralded as welcome progress for an event that has come under fire in recent years for scarce representation of female filmmakers.’

Cate was chosen to head the jury back in January, making her the third woman in four years to hold the role.