Hollywood movie star Natalie Portman made her debut as a film director at the Venice Film Festival with “Eve,” a short movie. It is a 21 minute film starring Lauren Bacall and Ben Gazzara which opened the festival's short film sidebar although it is not on the official competition list for a gold lion award.

The film got good reviews and it tells the story of a grandmother and a widower who go out on a date. "We have so much time off between films as actors that you tend to get restless and you want a creative outlet, and there is not always acting work that fulfils that need," Portman explained in a news conference.

The Oscar-nominated actress also said she may probably need to do more acting before directing a longer film. Nevertheless she seemed extremely excited to work with Bacall due to her incredible experience and wonderful personality and talent.

On the other hand, Portman was the star of the festival not only due to her directing debut. She was also awarded a "humanity award" for social commitment. The 27 year old is the first recipient of the Movie for Humanity Award, intended for film artists who devote themselves to humanitarian causes.

She donated her $50,000 award to a charity in Tanzania (the Tacare Girl's Scholarship Programme of the Jane Goodall Institute in Tanzania, which is involved in wildlife research and education such as the study and protection of great apes and their habitats). “The Jane Goodall foundation does incredible work in Tanzania, an area which is very environmentally affected,” Portman told the BBC. “I really appreciate this award.”