Directed by Academy and BAFTA Award winner Danny Boyle (28 Years Later, Trainspotting, Slumdog Millionaire), Ink is written by acclaimed playwright James Graham and stars Jack O'Connell, Guy Pearce and Claire Foy. Based on Graham's stage play, the film chronicles Rupert Murdoch's acquisition of British newspaper The Sun and its transformation into the UK's best-selling tabloid under editor Larry Lamb, exploring a pivotal moment in the evolution of modern media.
Boyle commented: "I've been to the Biennale many times, but this is my baptism at the film festival - a huge honour to be in a city of such extraordinary art and opening this great festival with my new film Ink. 1969 - the year we first walked on the moon - and the year Rupert Murdoch & Larry Lamb launched a newspaper that was to change the world far more. Long before Fox News, click bait, and Truth Social; decades before Twitter, Facebook, Google & Only Fans, these 2 men created a new tabloid which against all the odds became the biggest selling newspaper in the world. Cheeky, Irreverent, daring: The super soaraway Sun challenged the establishment and remade our world for the modern era. A script by James Graham I felt compelled and privileged to make."
Festival Director Alberto Barbera added: "An Oscar-winning director, one of the leading playwrights on the London theater scene, and three of the most acclaimed actors in contemporary British cinema—these are the credentials behind Danny Boyle's film, enhanced by the performances of Jack O'Connell, Guy Pearce and Claire Foy, which screenwriter James Graham adapted from his own play of the same name. It is an account of publisher Rupert Murdoch's acquisition of the daily newspaper The Sun, which he entrusted to the unscrupulous Larry Lamb, turning it into Britain's best-selling tabloid at the expense of its rival, The Mirror. I would like to thank StudioCanal, Media Res, and House Productions for granting us the honor of opening the Venice Film Festival with such a highly anticipated film."
Produced by StudioCanal, Media Res and House Productions, Ink reunites Boyle with producer Tessa Ross following their Oscar-winning collaboration on Slumdog Millionaire. StudioCanal fully financed the film and will distribute it across several international territories, while Lucky Red will release the feature in Italian cinemas.
Venice Immersive celebrates a decade
Alongside the opening film announcement, La Biennale di Venezia also unveiled the official programme for Venice Immersive, which celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2026. This year's programme will feature 68 projects from 26 countries, hosted once again on Venice Immersive Island (Lazzaretto Vecchio).
The selection includes 30 projects in competition, comprising 22 world premieres and 8 international premieres, alongside 35 out-of-competition works. These are divided between the Best of Experiences showcase and Best of Worlds, featuring 26 virtual worlds created by independent artists on the VRChat platform. The programme is completed by three Biennale College Cinema – Immersive projects, including one newly produced title and two works developed during previous editions of the training initiative.
The Venice Immersive competition will be evaluated by an international jury chaired by Paul Raphaël, joined by Négar Motevalymeidanshah and Kate Voet. The immersive section will open with a press and industry preview on September 1, before welcoming accredited visitors from September 2-12, running in parallel with the main festival programme.
Dio ride, written and directed by Giovanni Veronesi (The King's Musketeers, Manual of Love, For Love, Only for Love), is the out-of-competition, closing film of the 83rd Venice International Film Festival of the Biennale di Venezia, directed by Alberto Barbera (September 2 – 12, 2026). Dio ride will have its world premiere screening on Saturday, September 12, in the Sala Grande of the Palazzo del Cinema on the Lido di Venezia, after the awards ceremony.
