Venice opens with Murdoch tale as festival tackles sexism

The Venice Film Festival opened on Wednesday with the world premiere of Danny Boyle's 'Ink,' a film that portrays the rise of the British tabloid The Sun and the machinations of its young proprietor, Rupert Murdoch, played by Guy Pearce. The New York Times described the film as arriving in Boyle's 'trademark rollicking style,' chronicling how tabloid scandal became a commodity that sells newspapers and shapes public life.

The choice of an opening film about the birth of tabloid journalism set a pointed tone for a festival that has long been a barometer of the cultural zeitgeist. Speaking at the opening, actor-director Maggie Gyllenhaal, who chairs the jury, said the industry has a 'systemic problem' with sexism, noting that only two films directed by women are in contention for the Golden Lion this year.

For Tuscany, whose own cultural capital of Florence draws millions of visitors each year to its Renaissance treasures, the festival's opening serves as a reminder of Italy's outsized role in shaping how the world consumes art and storytelling. The Lido's red carpet is a stage where the global image of Italian culture is continuously renegotiated, much as Florence's museums and piazzas do year-round.

The Guardian reported that Gyllenhaal addressed why the jury she chairs will only be shown two films made by female filmmakers, calling the underrepresentation a reflection of a broader structural issue rather than an isolated oversight. Her comments come at a moment when European film industries, including Italy's, are grappling with questions of parity and representation, though the festival's own lineup this year underscores how slow the change has been.

Boyle's 'Ink' revisits a defining chapter in the history of British media, when Murdoch's arrival in Fleet Street upended established norms and turned the Sun into a mass-market force. Pearce, speaking at the festival, said Murdoch's daughter Elisabeth told him her father was 'very happy' with the portrayal, though Pearce added that Murdoch 'hadn't seen the film at that point,' according to the Guardian.

The festival's opening also featured David Bowie in a new 'extended reality' documentary, part of the 10th anniversary edition of Venice Immersive, which the Guardian noted includes hundreds of unseen images of the star alongside virtual worlds exploring wildfires, wolves and the birth of stars. The breadth of programming reflects Venice's ambition to remain at the forefront of cinematic innovation, even as it honours tradition.

For viewers in Florence and across Tuscany, the festival offers a moment to reflect on how Italy's cultural institutions are presented to the world. The region's own heritage sites face their own pressures, from overtourism to conservation, and the global attention Venice commands each September is a reminder of the delicate balance between celebration and preservation that defines Italian cultural life.