DUBAI: Stars from around the world hit the red carpet in Italy as Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea International Film Festival took on the role of presenting sponsor at the Venice Film Festival amfAR Gala for the third consecutive year. For the latest updates, follow us on Instagram @arabnews.lifestyle Rita Ora, Camila Mendes, Jesse Williams, Bella Thorne, Milla Jovovich, Michelle Rodriguez, Kate Beckinsale, Alejandro Nones, Luke Evans and many more attended the event alongside Red Sea International Film Festival CEO Mohammed Al-Turki. AmfAR is a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to supporting AIDS research, HIV prevention, treatment education and advocacy. Filmmaker Ava DuVernay was honored by amfAR at the event and is also making history at this year’s Venice Film Festival with “Origin,” the first film by an African-American woman to play in Competition. Meanwhile, Michael Fassbender returned to the big screen at the Venice Film Festival Sunday after years away as a racing driver, playing a cold-blooded assassin in David Fincher"s Netflix film "The Killer." The German Irish actor took up professional motor racing in 2017, joining the Ferrari Challenge and later the European Le Mans Series. He stepped away from an acting career that had seen him mix blockbusters like the "X-Men" franchise with hard-hitting roles in "12 Years a Slave" and "Hunger." "Had we not been able to fit into his window between racing seasons, we probably wouldn"t have made the movie," said Fincher, adding they wanted someone menacing but not "too frightening." "I like very much the idea of someone seeing this film and getting nervous about the person behind them in line at Home Depot," Fincher joked. "The Killer" is a darkly comic but propulsive revenge film that sees Fassbender"s gunman try to stay focused and professional but constantly forced to improvise as events get out of hand. It got a much warmer reception than "Fight Club," which was famously booed in Venice in 1999 before becoming a cult hit. The Guardian gave "The Killer" five stars, saying Fincher carries it off with "terrific flair and Fassbender"s careworn, inscrutable face is just right for it." Some felt it lacked surprises, with Playlist calling it "entertaining but a little orthodox." -ADVERTISEMENT-