A small propeller jet parked at a private airport in Venice became became a focal point for Hollywood actors and stars at the amFAR Gala 81st Venice International Film Festival.
It was perhaps the simplicity and cool vintage vibe of the smallest plane on the tarmac of the 1920s Nicelli Airport that attracted the attention of Spanish actor Antonio Banderas and Julian Lennon the son of the late Beatles member John Lennon who posed next to it.
Unbeknown to them, Pilatus PC-12 jet is owned by Romanian entrepreneur, Michael Schmidt who was a guest at the event.
The amfAR Gala presented by Red Sea International Film Festival and World Gold Council took place at Hangar Nicelli. The private airport was founded in Venice in 1926 and hosts approximately 7000 private flights a year and extends over 3000 square meters with two garden areas, two terraces, a hangar and a sophisticated restaurant.
Mr. Schmidt and his wife, Veronica Schmidt attended the amfAR Gala which played host to celebrity guests, including the international actor Banderas, British actor Lucien Laviscount and American actor Richard Gere.
Gere and his wife Alejandra Silva were one of the glamorous appearances of the evening.
AARP Magazine reported in 2002 that, Gere created the charity Healing the Divide, whose goal is to help communities in Asia, the Middle East and the United States take on social and cultural struggles, which included HIV/AIDS awareness early on.
The Schmidts run the M&V Schmidt Foundation that preserves and promotes Saxon culture in Transylvania. The foundation also prioritizes educational and humanitarian projects. Its popular Haferland Festival that promotes Saxon culture and values, and is attended by ambassadors and royalty as well as tourists, just celebrated its 12th edition.
The goal of the Foundation for AIDS Research is to end the AIDS epidemic with the help of life-saving research.
Mr. Banderas and film producer Mohammed Al Turki were also honored at the amfAR Gala. The event was hosted by Kate Beckinsale and featured performances by Kelly Rowland and Rumer Willis.
Mr. Schmidt, best known as the president of Automobile Bavaria and the M&V Schmidt Foundation, and the well-known musician Peter Maffay, founder of the Tabaluga Foundation, initiated the Haferland Week project in 2012. It’s a popular festival designed to promote culture, Saxon traditions and values held in an area between Rupea and Sighișoara, called “Oats Country” or Haferland.
Automobile Bavaria was appointed the new dealer of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars in Romania this summer.
Nicelli is the oldest commercial Italian airport and was immediately defined as the best and most modern in Italy when inaugurated in 1935 by the Duke of Genoa. The airport remains a rare example of 1920’s style.
