Amal Clooney, 45, stuns in a black summer dress as she is given a helping hand by husband George, 62, before they cuddle on a boat trip through Venice

Amal and George Clooney were in good spirits and early on Friday as they headed to Venice after attending a glamorous awards ceremony the night before.

The human rights lawyer, 45, and the Hollywood actor, 62, have arrived in Venice for the annual film festival hit by the Writers Guild of America strike.

Amal looked effortlessly glamorous in a black sundress that she paired with a straw bag, sunglasses and shoes.

George showed his chivalrous side when both he and a friend helped Amal board a water taxi while the group explored the city.

George reached out to support Amal and ensured she boarded safely before the couple was photographed with their arms around each other.

George looked typically handsome in a navy blue short-sleeved shirt and seemed to be having a good time as the boat moved through the water.

The night before, the couple attended the DVF Awards, where Amal was honored the DVF Leadership Award together with four other women, in the Sala degli Arazzi of the Giorgio Cini Foundation.

The couple brought the star power to the 14th annual event, founded by designer Diane von Furstenberg, which recognizes special women dedicated to transforming other women’s lives.

The DVF said why they awarded Amal the gong.

They said: ‘Amal Clooney is an award-winning human rights lawyer who has defended victims of injustice around the world for the past 20 years. She represents clients before international courts, including the International Criminal Court, the International Court of Justice and the European Court of Human Rights.

Amal has represented high-profile political prisoners and survivors of mass atrocities, such as the Yazidi women and girls enslaved by ISIS, civilians attacked by Sudanese militias and government forces in Darfur, and women activists imprisoned around the world. to sit.

“Her record of securing the freedom of wrongfully imprisoned journalists around the world is unparalleled. She is currently a member of the Task Force on Accountability for Crimes Composed in Ukraine, supporting justice for victims of war crimes and other human rights violations.”

Stars and directors traditionally like to travel to the lagoon city to launch their films. This year, however, will offer a little less sparkle than usual, as a strike by Hollywood actors will prevent many stars from promoting their work here.

Putting a brave face on the anticipated disruption, the festival’s Artistic Director Alberto Barbera has managed to attract one of the strongest line-ups in recent years, defying the gloomy predictions of a massive no-show from major studio productions. defies.

“We know that some talents won’t be there… But others will come because they work in independent films. So everything is good. It looks very positive.’

Outside the picture-perfect canals of Venice, there is a sense of crisis in the film industry, with strikes by both major American actors and writers’ unions bringing much of the entertainment industry to a standstill.

“If the strikes last longer, it will have a huge, negative impact on the next (release) season and also on the awards season,” said Barbera.

No one in Hollywood wants the strikers to do the wrong thing and the entire film and TV industry has come to a complete standstill.

The writers’ union, the WGA, went on strike on May 2 and was followed on July 14 by SAG-AFTRA, the actors’ union.