The 83rd Venice International Film Festival has unveiled its opening and closing night films, with Danny Boyle's Ink set to launch the festival on 2 September and Giovanni Veronesi's Dio ride bringing the event to a close on 12 September.
Boyle's Ink will receive its world premiere in Competition at the Sala Grande on the opening night. The political drama explores Rupert Murdoch's acquisition of The Sun newspaper in 1969, charting a turning point in British media history. Adapted from James Graham's acclaimed stage play, the film stars Guy Pearce as Murdoch, Jack O'Connell as legendary tabloid editor Larry Lamb and Claire Foy.
The closing film, Dio ride, will have its world premiere out of competition after the awards ceremony on the festival's final day. Set in the mid-1600s and loosely inspired by true events, the film follows Frate Leopoldo da Casamacchia, a friar whose unconventional preaching challenges the authority of the Church and ultimately attracts the attention of the Vatican's most powerful inquisitor.
Written and directed by Giovanni Veronesi, Dio ride stars Pierfrancesco Favino, Silvio Orlando, Alma Noce, Francesco Gheghi, Maurizio Lombardi, Paolo Rossi and Carlo Cecchi as Pope Innocent X. The film is produced by Indiana Production, PiperFilm and Ogi Film in collaboration with Netflix, and will be released in Italian cinemas on 29 October.
So far, Ink and Dio ride are the only feature films officially announced by Venice. The full line-up, including the Competition, Out of Competition and Orizzonti selections, is expected to be unveiled by festival director Alberto Barbera on 23 July.
