Venice opens with Danny Boyle's Ink

Danny Boyle’s “Ink” opened the 83rd Venice International Film Festival on Wednesday, starting an 11-day run on the Lido that ends on September 12. George Clooney was due to receive a Golden Lion for lifetime achievement at the opening ceremony, while jury president Maggie Gyllenhaal set an overtly political tone at the festival’s first press conference. Variety reported that Boyle’s film was chosen to launch a festival already framed by red-carpet star power and debate over war, unrest and the role of cinema. ### Why did Venice open with Danny Boyle’s “Ink”? La Biennale di Venezia said “Ink” had its world premiere on Wednesday, September 2, in the Sala Grande at the Palazzo del Cinema after the opening ceremony. The festival’s official notice identified the film as the opening title of Biennale Cinema 2026. (variety.com) Variety described “Ink” as an account of how British tabloid The Sun helped propel Rupert Murdoch’s rise, placing media power and politics at the center of opening night. Deadline reported that Boyle directed the film from a screenplay by James Graham, based on Graham’s play “Ink,” with Jack O’Connell as Sun editor Larry Lamb, Guy Pearce as Murdoch and Claire Foy as Jules Davies. (labiennale.org) ### What did Maggie Gyllenhaal say as the festival began? Maggie Gyllenhaal said at the Venice jury press conference that films are “fundamentally, unavoidably political,” according to Variety and Reuters-backed coverage published on Wednesday. The remarks came after she was asked whether cinema should engage with politics amid the wars in Gaza and Ukraine and unrest in the United States. (variety.com) Reuters reported that Gyllenhaal also said women in film still face “systemic” barriers, linking the discussion of politics to questions about who gets to tell stories and whose perspectives are seen on screen. Variety similarly framed the exchange as an early sign that geopolitics would be part of the festival conversation from the outset. (variety.com) ### Why was George Clooney central to opening day? George Clooney was scheduled to receive a Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at Wednesday’s opening ceremony, according to festival previews from pttl.gr and other outlets. The honor made him one of the focal points of the opening alongside Boyle’s film. (wsau.com) AP coverage distributed through news sites said Clooney addressed current events at a Wednesday news conference rather than speaking only about career retrospectives. That placed the lifetime award within the same broader opening-day atmosphere of politics and international tension that shaped the jury press conference. (pttl.gr) ### What kind of festival is Venice staging this year? The 83rd edition began on September 2 and runs through September 12, according to La Biennale and festival previews. Variety said Venice would unfold with “a steady stream of stars” on the red carpet while politics loomed in the background. (msn.com) PTTL’s festival preview said the lineup brings together major international names, including Clooney, while also emphasizing the competition slate and the festival’s European footprint. ABC’s advance coverage said Venice again opens the fall festival season with films expected to feed into the awards race. (labiennale.org) ### What happens next on the Lido? September 12 is the closing date for this year’s festival, with the jury led by Gyllenhaal overseeing the prizes awarded at the end of the run. In the immediate term, the first benchmark was Wednesday night’s world premiere of “Ink” in the Sala Grande and Clooney’s Golden Lion presentation at the opening ceremony. (pttl.gr)