George Clooney and his wife Amal drew attention on the red carpet at the opening of the 2026 Venice Film Festival, where Danny Boyle’s new film Ink — a drama about the rise of Rupert Murdoch’s Sun empire — launched the event amid a crowd of...
George Clooney and his wife Amal drew attention on the red carpet at the opening of the 2026 Venice Film Festival, where Danny Boyle’s new film Ink — a drama about the rise of Rupert Murdoch’s Sun empire — launched the event amid a crowd of...
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George Clooney and Amal Clooney were among the most closely watched arrivals at the opening night of the 83rd Venice Film Festival on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, as the event began with the premiere of Danny Boyle’s Ink. The film, adapted from James Graham’s stage play, examines the early years of Rupert Murdoch’s newspaper expansion and the rise of The Sun in Britain. The premiere placed one of the festival’s biggest celebrity couples in the middle of a film that is about power, media influence and the making of tabloid history. ([apnews.com](https://apnews.com/article/327fcc123d1f4c19833edeff4a74a6fc?utm_source=openai))
The screening also signaled a high-profile start for the festival itself. The Associated Press reported that Ink opened the 11-day Venice programme, while also noting that the film is a competition title and that its story is set around Murdoch’s acquisition of The Sun in 1969. That framing made the opening night more than a celebrity spectacle: it was also a festival launch built around a film with explicit real-world political and media resonance. ([apnews.com](https://apnews.com/article/327fcc123d1f4c19833edeff4a74a6fc?utm_source=openai))
The red carpet was not only about the Clooneys. Claire Foy, who appears in the film as fictional newspaper figure Jules Davies, attended the premiere in a red dress with long gloves, a styling choice that drew as much attention as the tuxedos and black gowns around her. Reuters imagery from the festival identified Foy at the Ink screening and opening ceremony, while AP’s festival coverage confirmed that she is part of the cast alongside Guy Pearce and Jack O’Connell. ([reutersconnect.com](https://www.reutersconnect.com/item/83rd-venice-international-film-festival/dGFnOnJldXRlcnMuY29tLDIwMjY6bmV3c21sX1JDMjRCTkFENTlISw?utm_source=openai))
Guy Pearce portrays Rupert Murdoch in the film, with Jack O’Connell playing editor Larry Lamb. AP’s reporting says the film dramatizes how Lamb turned a struggling paper into a bestseller, while the premiere’s guest list extended beyond the core cast to include a broader circle of film and fashion personalities. That mix helped turn the opening ceremony into a classic Venice moment: part prestige cinema event, part global celebrity photo call. ([apnews.com](https://apnews.com/article/f56946c8ca96e151a824bf0a000ec871?utm_source=openai))
Amal Clooney’s arrival at Venice ahead of the festival had already generated attention, with Vogue describing her earlier daytime look and the couple’s boat arrival in the city. On opening night, Reuters and other licensed image feeds showed George and Amal Clooney on the red carpet for the Ink screening, underscoring how the pair remains one of the festival’s most marketable and photographed attractions. ([vogue.com](https://www.vogue.com/article/amal-clooney-venice-film-festival-skirt-suit?utm_source=openai))
That kind of attention matters in Venice because the festival has long functioned as both an artistic launch pad and a fashion stage. The Clooneys’ presence amplified both sides of that identity. George Clooney is in Venice to receive the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement, according to AP, which makes his red-carpet appearance part celebration, part industry recognition. Amal Clooney’s polished style, meanwhile, kept the focus on the couple’s reputation as one of entertainment’s most elegant duos. ([apnews.com](https://apnews.com/article/449c47effe9d46d8f067d258d8ac5f4f?utm_source=openai))
Ink is arriving at a time when stories about media ownership, audience manipulation and the political reach of newspapers still resonate strongly. AP’s coverage describes the film as a dramatization of Murdoch’s acquisition of The Sun and the paper’s transformation under tabloid editor Larry Lamb. That premise gives the movie contemporary relevance well beyond its 1969 setting, because debates over media concentration and press influence remain part of public life in Britain and elsewhere. ([apnews.com](https://apnews.com/article/f56946c8ca96e151a824bf0a000ec871?utm_source=openai))
The Venice premiere therefore operated on two levels. For the festival audience, it was a glitzy opening-night event with household-name stars. For viewers tracking the film itself, it was the first public presentation of a drama about how a newspaper became a force in British culture. Danny Boyle’s involvement further raised expectations, since the director is known for projects that combine broad audience appeal with sharp visual identity and energetic storytelling. ([apnews.com](https://apnews.com/article/327fcc123d1f4c19833edeff4a74a6fc?utm_source=openai))
Early reporting suggests Venice is positioning Ink as one of the festival’s headline titles, with AP noting that the film reportedly received a five-minute standing ovation. That reaction, if sustained through the festival run, could help build awards-season momentum and bring added attention to the story’s central figures: Murdoch, Lamb and the ecosystem around The Sun. ([apnews.com](https://apnews.com/article/f56946c8ca96e151a824bf0a000ec871?utm_source=openai))
For now, the strongest immediate takeaway from opening night is the combination of star wattage and subject matter. George and Amal Clooney brought the kind of global visibility that red carpets are designed to attract, while the film behind them introduced a topic that is likely to prompt discussion well beyond the fashion coverage. In Venice, that is often the ideal formula: a glamorous launch for a film with enough substance to travel after the photographers leave. ([apnews.com](https://apnews.com/article/327fcc123d1f4c19833edeff4a74a6fc?utm_source=openai))
Venice premieres often function as a first test of whether a film can balance critical ambition with public appeal, and Ink has that challenge built into its premise. It is a historical drama about a newspaper empire, but its cast, director and festival placement ensure that it will be judged through the lens of prestige cinema as much as through the lens of journalism history. The presence of George Clooney — himself a major film figure and a recipient of the festival’s top lifetime honor — adds another layer of symbolic weight. ([apnews.com](https://apnews.com/article/327fcc123d1f4c19833edeff4a74a6fc?utm_source=openai))
That symbolism is part of why the opening-night photographs traveled so quickly. A red carpet in Venice is never only about clothing or celebrity; it is also a way of signaling what the festival wants the world to notice. Here, the message was clear: a glamorous crowd, an acclaimed filmmaker, a notable cast and a politically charged story about the media business all arrived together at the same moment. ([reutersconnect.com](https://www.reutersconnect.com/item/83rd-venice-international-film-festival/dGFnOnJldXRlcnMuY29tLDIwMjY6bmV3c21sX1JDMjRCTkFENTlISw?utm_source=openai))
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