Salma Hayek Will Receive Franca Sozzani Award In Venice On Aug. 31 | Hayek Brings 'Monarca' To Netflix

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Actor Salma Hayek will be the second recipient of the Franca Sozzani Award, created to recognize women who have exceptional artistic careers and a commitment to social activism.

The Mexican actress and movie producer will receive the award, established by late Vogue Italia editor in chief Franca Sozzani’s family, on Aug. 31 during the 75th edition of the Venice International Film Festival. The ceremony will take place at Sozzani’s favorite Belmond Hotel Cipriani, a five-star hotel on Venice’s Giudecca island.

“Her example and her teaching live on in a countless number of little everyday actions, which still punctuate life in the firm today,” said Fedele Usai, chief executive officer of Condé Nast Italia, which supports the Franca Sozzani Award. “This tribute to Franca is an opportunity to celebrate a person who was unique and unrepeatable, and who is a constant and challenging benchmark for all of us at Condé Nast.”

Julianne Moore received the first Franca Sozzani Award in September 2017. 

Tributes Continue For The Remarkable Editrix Franca Sozzani | Steven Meisel's 2005 'Hollywood Life'

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The tributes to Vogue Italia Editor-in-Chief Franca Sozzani, who died of lung cancer last Thursday. continue to resonate. W's Stefano Tonchi shares his thoughts on the truly remarkable Sozzani.

Franca was assertive, with a directness that was born of the strength of her convictions. She was loud and clear when she talked; you didn’t second-guess her. She did not tolerate bullshit, but she loved to listen to ideas. She was also very good at managing talented photographers and stylists—which is both an incredible honor and incredibly frustrating—to allow them to do their best work. Italian Vogue had a tradition of working with important photographers like Helmut Newton, but there was always this sense of control. When she got there, she let the photographers take over.

The many admirers of France Sozzani have references her most notorious editorials and issues devoted to a single message. I wrote at length about America's PC fashionistas and self-appointed culture critics who were besides themselves with ire over Meisel's 'Water & Oil' editorial that put fashion within the values context of the BP oil spill. Simply stated, the Americanas couldn't get beyond step one of taking the editorial literally. I imagine France Sozzani took a deep sigh over that fiasco, when the editorial so concretely and without ambiguity was focused on environmentalism and a commentary on the irrelevance of fashion in a world where nature is suffocating in tar sands. .

Related: Remembering Franca Sozzani: A Worldview That Mattered by Vanessa Friedman of New York Times

Another major fashion adventure between Franca Sozzani and Steven Meisel was Linda Evangelista's 'Hollywood Life', published in 2005 as a social commentary on the need to be a woman with a young face in Hollywood. As always Sozzani was daring in her willingness to pursue ugliness (the procedures) in an American-values world that celebrates California girl youth and perfection. Sozzani was far more captivated by personality and presence, than beauty.

Linda Evangelista By Steven Meisel In 'Hollywood Life' For Vogue Italia July 2005 AOC Body Beat

Revisiting 'Water & Oil': One of Franca Sozzani & Steven Meisel's Most Provocative Collaborations

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Revisiting 'Water & Oil': One of Franca Sozzani & Steven Meisel's Most Provocative Collaborations

The fashion world is grieving the death of Franca Sozzani, Editor-in-Chief of Vogue Italia. Sozzani created the most activist and in-your-face political statements in Vogue Italia.  Not all fashionistas appreciated her activist voice. Sozzani's infamous Italian Vogue editorial 'Water & Oil', September 2010 photographed by Steven Meisel is among her most controversial. Sozzani was making a political statement about the BP oil spill.

In honor of Franca Sozzani, we republish that editorial featuring Kristen McMenamy in much-expanded image sizes but with the original commentary. In moving AOC from Squarespace V5 to V7 a year ago, none of the comments transferred with the original articles. But I recall that the arguments were fierce! ~ Anne

{Written Aug. 7, 2010}: "Italian Vogue’s Kristen McMenamy oil-spill environmental disaster photos have created a firestorm of controversy about the motives of the magazine and whether or not the fashion shoot is in ‘poor taste’.

I’ve read endless comments from presumably American readers, and they are generally negative about the Italian Vogue Sept 2010 BP oil spill photos.

Comments are that the photos are tasteless, trivialize the events in the gulf to the point of mockery and represent a big-businesses attempt to exploit the tragedy. In the case of Italian Vogue and Kristen McMenamy, the big-business bad guy is Conde Nast, not BP.

From my perspective, I fail to see how these photos glamorize the BP Gulf oil disaster. They are disturbing, provocative and dreadfully ugly." Read on. 

Vogue Magazine Editors Sit for Family Portrait

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Vogue editors from left to right: Yolanda Sacristan, Spain; Kirstie Clements Australia; Anaita Adajania - India; Christiane Arp, Germany; Angelica Cheung, China; Franca Sozzani, Italy; Mitsuko Watanabe - Japan; Anna Wintour, America; Emmanuelle Alt - France; Alexandra Shulman - Britain; Victoria Davydova, Russia; Anna Harvey, representing Brazil and Greece; Seda Domanic - Turkey; Myung Hee Lee - Korea; Rosalie Huang -Taiwan; Eva Hughes, Mexico and Latin America; and Paula Mateus - Portugal.

Rare Vogue Portrait of Editors in Chiefs in Tokyo

To commemorate the stellar fashion power occasion and importance of Japan in the fashion world this weekend, Anna Wintour and Vogue’s other editors including Franca Sozzani, Emmanuelle Alt, Alexandra Shulman and Angelica Cheung assembled for a rare “family portrait” shot by Frederic Aranda.

Our favorite Vogue Italia Franca Sozzani looked particularly fabulous, shot by Yukie Kasuga sitting here with Giambattista Valli.