Venice Film Festival opens with Ink

The 83rd Venice International Film Festival opened on Wednesday, September 2, with Danny Boyle’s “Ink” premiering after the opening ceremony at the Palazzo del Cinema on the Lido. George Clooney was due to receive the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the opening event, as the festival began its 11-day run through September 12. Jury president Maggie Gyllenhaal set an overtly political tone before the first red carpet, saying cinema this year was engaging directly with war in Gaza, the conflict in Ukraine and unrest in the United States. ### Why did “Ink” open the festival? La Biennale di Venezia said Boyle’s “Ink” was selected as the opening film for Venezia 83 and scheduled for its world premiere on September 2 in the Sala Grande after the opening ceremony. The official festival page describes the film as a U.K. production running 116 minutes and lists Jack O’Connell, Guy Pearce and Claire Foy in the cast. (labiennale.org) Variety described “Ink” as an account of how British tabloid *The Sun* helped propel Rupert Murdoch’s rise, while the Biennale synopsis places the story in 1969 around Murdoch and editor Larry Lamb. Boyle said in a director’s statement on the festival site that opening Venice with the film was “a huge honour.” (labiennale.org) ### Why was George Clooney central to opening night? George Clooney was honored with the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the opening ceremony, festival coverage and opening-day reports said. The Associated Press reported that Clooney and Boyle were the two marquee figures framing the first night, with Clooney receiving the career award and Boyle bringing the opening-night premiere. (variety.com) Deadline’s opening-day coverage said Clooney arrived in Venice on Wednesday ahead of the presentation. Festival photo coverage published later Wednesday showed the award presentation alongside the “Ink” premiere and opening ceremony. ### What did Maggie Gyllenhaal say about politics at this year’s festival? Maggie Gyllenhaal told reporters on opening day that films are political, according to Variety. (apnews.com) The trade publication said she was asked, against the backdrop of Gaza, Ukraine and unrest in the United States, whether cinema should be political. (deadline.com) Variety also reported before the festival opened that politics were expected to hang over this year’s edition even as a steady stream of stars arrived on the red carpet. That framing put the opening ceremony, jury remarks and Boyle’s Murdoch-centered film in the same first-day conversation. (variety.com) ### Where is the festival headed from here? La Biennale’s 2026 festival page says Venezia 83 runs from September 2 through September 12. The same page notes that Greta Scarano and Nicolas Maupas are hosting the opening and closing nights. The public screening calendar shows “Ink” opening the event on September 2, with competition and side-section screenings continuing across the Lido in the days that follow. (variety.com) The next milestone is the closing ceremony on September 12, when the festival will hand out this year’s competition prizes. (static.labiennale.org) (labiennale.org)