B.C.-born Pamela Anderson to receive amfAR Award of Courage in Venice
Pamela Anderson attends the premiere of Rosebush Pruning during the Berlin International Film Festival in February 2026. The B.C.-born actor will receive amfAR’s Award of Courage in Venice on Sept. 6.
Pamela Anderson will add another international honour to a resurgent stretch in her career when the B.C.-born actor receives amfAR’s Award of Courage during the Venice Film Festival next month.
Anderson will be honoured at amfAR Venezia on Sept. 6, the sixth annual benefit held during the Venice International Film Festival to raise money for HIV research and global health initiatives.
The Ladysmith-born Canadian is being recognized for her advocacy and her willingness to use her public profile in support of social causes. amfAR CEO Kyle Clifford said Anderson has repeatedly used her platform to draw attention to issues she believes in.
The honour also comes during a particularly busy Venice for Anderson.
She is part of the cast of Kornél Mundruczó’s Place to Be, which has been selected for the festival’s Venice Open – Out of Competition program. The film stars Ellen Burstyn and Taika Waititi alongside Anderson, Murray Bartlett and David Wenham. Its first public screening is scheduled for Sept. 9 at Sala Giardino.
Waititi is also scheduled to host the amfAR gala.
Anderson’s connection to the organization predates this year’s award. She was among the event chairs for the amfAR Gala Cannes in May, joining a group that included Pedro Almodóvar, Angela Bassett, Colman Domingo, Scarlett Johansson, Demi Moore and Michelle Yeoh. The Cannes gala supports research aimed at ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
Her HIV/AIDS advocacy stretches back more than two decades. Anderson became a spokesperson for the MAC AIDS Fund in 2005, part of a broader record of activism that has also included animal welfare and other causes.
Anderson will share the spotlight at the Venice gala with performance artist Marina Abramović, who is receiving amfAR’s Award of Inspiration. The Sept. 6 event will take place at Molino Stucky Venice during the 83rd Venice International Film Festival.
The Award of Courage arrives amid a renewed period of critical attention for Anderson’s acting career. Her performance in The Last Showgirl earned her a 2025 Golden Globe nomination for best female actor in a motion picture drama.
Her appearance in Venice adds another major international festival to that run, while keeping a distinctly Canadian connection: Anderson was born in Ladysmith on Vancouver Island and was inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame in 2006.
The 83rd Venice International Film Festival runs Sept. 2 to 12.
The Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival heads into its final weekend with more than 200 productions on its 2026 program, including Canadian shows built around spoken-word poetry, artificial intelligence and a long-running theatrical version of God in a floral suit.