VENICE — The 83rd edition of the Venice Film Festival will open on 2 September with the film Ink. This screening marks the start of the official lineup that includes major premieres and competition titles.

Ink is directed by Danny Boyle and features a script written by James Graham. The film is about Rupert Murdoch’s acquisition of the Sun newspaper, an event that occurred when Murdoch purchased the publication in 1969. Guy Pearce plays Rupert Murdoch in the film Ink.

The stage play Ink, adapted into the film, won multiple Tony Awards during its 2019 Broadway run, marking it as a critically acclaimed work prior to its cinematic adaptation. Danny Boyle’s Ink will be the first film from his production company, House Productions, to premiere at the Venice Film Festival, showing a new collaboration with StudioCanal and Media Res. Boyle previously directed the 2015 biographical drama Steve Jobs, which received Oscar nominations and established his track record with cinematic portrayals of influential figures.

The documentary Musk, directed by Alex Gibney, will screen out of competition at the Venice Film Festival. Musk is a four-hour documentary about Elon Musk. Laura Poitras and Rachel Mueller made the documentary They’re Here, which covers ICE’s intervention in Minneapolis and the killing of Renée Good.

Ilya Khrzhanovsky will show a film from his Dau project at the festival. Sergei Loznitsa will bring his documentary Imperium to the festival, which is about a film commissioned by the Italian Communist Party to glorify the Soviet Union.

Wild Horse Nine is directed by Martin McDonagh and features John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell as CIA agents in Chile. The film is set on the eve of the coup led by Augusto Pinochet. Steve Buscemi, Tom Waits, and Parker Posey also star in Wild Horse Nine.

Primetime is directed by Lance Oppenheim and stars Robert Pattinson. The film is inspired by the US reality TV show To Catch a Predator. Bunker is directed by Florian Zeller and features Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem. Bucking Fastard is directed by Werner Herzog and marks his first dramatic feature film in seven years. Kate Mara and Rooney Mara star in Bucking Fastard.

Woman Unknown, directed by May El-Toukhy, is the only female-directed film among the 20 titles in the main competition. Six female directors competed for the Golden Lion in 2025. Nanni Moretti’s film Succederà Questa Notte is showing in competition at the Venice Film Festival.

This marks Moretti’s first film in Venice since 1989. Liam Gallagher and Noel Gallagher will attend the premiere of the documentary Don’t Look Back in Anger, which is about the band Oasis. Russell Crowe is expected to attend a screening of What Love Builds, a documentary about his band Indoor Garden Party. Alberto Barbera is the artistic director of the Venice Film Festival. The Venice International Film Festival has been officially recognized by the FIAPF since its inception. The festival was established in 1932 and is held annually in Venice, Italy. The 83rd Venice Film Festival will feature a restored classic film section as part of La Biennale’s initiative to preserve and showcase cinematic history.

The selection of Ink as the opening film places a historical media acquisition at the center of the festival's launch. The presence of multiple high-profile directors and actors indicates a strong lineup for the 83rd edition. The inclusion of only one female-directed film in the main competition shows the gender distribution among the selected titles for this year.