Venice opens with Boyle’s Ink, Clooney honor

Danny Boyle’s “Ink” opened the 83rd Venice International Film Festival on Wednesday, September 2, with its world premiere in the Sala Grande at the Palazzo del Cinema on the Lido di Venezia, according to festival organizer La Biennale di Venezia. George Clooney was honored the same day with the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement during the opening ceremony, the festival said. Jury president Maggie Gyllenhaal set an overtly political tone earlier in the day, saying films are “fundamentally, unavoidably political” when asked about Gaza, Ukraine and unrest in the United States. ### Why did “Ink” open Venice this year? La Biennale said Boyle’s film was selected as the opening-night title of the 2026 festival and will screen in competition during the event, which runs from September 2 to September 12. The official festival page described the film as having its world premiere after the opening ceremony in the Sala Grande. Screen Daily reported in July that “Ink” marks the first time a film directed by Boyle has screened at Venice. (labiennale.org) The film stars Jack O’Connell, Guy Pearce and Claire Foy, and is based on a screenplay by James Graham. ### What is Boyle’s film about? The festival’s synopsis says “Ink” is set in 1969 and follows Rupert Murdoch and Larry Lamb as they launch a newspaper that would change British media. (labiennale.org) La Biennale’s page for the film says O’Connell plays Lamb and Pearce plays Murdoch. Deadline and other trade reports have described the project as an adaptation of Graham’s Tony-nominated stage play about the rise of British tabloid The Sun. (screendaily.com) Variety reported before the festival that the film centers on Murdoch’s tabloid empire, while earlier coverage said Netflix acquired rights for the United States and Latin America. ### How was the opening-night premiere received? (labiennale.org) Deadline reported that “Ink” received a five-minute standing ovation at its world premiere on Wednesday. Variety separately described the reception as a warm four-minute ovation, underscoring strong early audience response even as trade reports differed on the exact count. Variety’s on-the-ground report said O’Connell’s performance as a hard-driving tabloid editor drew attention at the premiere. (variety.com) The cast and Boyle were on hand as the festival launched its first night on the Lido. ### Why did politics surface before the first screening? Maggie Gyllenhaal told reporters at the jury press conference that movies are “fundamentally, unavoidably political,” according to Variety. (variety.com) In the same exchange, she said, “we could say, how are we possibly here talking about movies right now when the world is in a state of emergency?” and added that, for her, the answer had “something to do with empathy.” Variety had reported before opening day that Venice was bracing for political debate on the Lido after earlier disputes around Gaza and festival programming. The outlet also reported that the festival kept its traditional jury press conference after criticism and pressure linked to questions over Palestine. ### What did Clooney’s honor add to opening day? George Clooney’s Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement was presented during the opening ceremony on Wednesday, La Biennale said. (variety.com) The festival said the award was made on the recommendation of artistic director Alberto Barbera and identified Clooney as the first of its 2026 lifetime honorees. Laura Dern was scheduled to deliver the laudatio for Clooney in the Sala Grande, according to a festival announcement published ahead of opening day. (variety.com) Clooney is also listed among participants in festival masterclasses running from September 3 to September 9 at the Match Point Arena on the Venice Lido. September 12 is the festival’s closing date, according to La Biennale’s 2026 program page. “Ink” remains in the main competition lineup, and Clooney is among the named participants in the festival’s public masterclass schedule in the days ahead. (labiennale.org 1) (labiennale.org 2) (labiennale.org 3)