Danny Boyle Celebrated at Variety’s Venice Pre-Opening Party

Danny Boyle was celebrated with Variety’s Creative Impact in Directing Award on Monday during a Venice Film Festival pre-opening night party at the poolside terrace of the Hotel Excelsior.

The Oscar-winning British filmmaker is set to open the festival on Wednesday night with “Ink,” a juicy exposé of how British tabloid The Sun propelled Rupert Murdoch’s rise to right-wing media baron. In his speech, Boyle praised Venice chief Alberto Barbera for his “courage” in choosing “Ink” as opener.

“When Alberto rang up to say that this film was going to open the Venice Film Festival, I thought he was insane,” Boyle said, adding that “Ink” is “the oddest film that’s ever opened Venice.”

“There are directors who are able to utilize their craft to present us a world. Then there are directors like Danny Boyle, who know how to take us inside a world,” said Jack O’Connell, who stars in “Ink” as The Sun editor Larry Lamb, in presenting the award to Boyle.

“Danny has always had a remarkable and unique instinct for capturing the mood of Britain and its people, from directing ‘Trainspotting’ to staging the opening ceremony of the London Olympics, he has repeatedly found ways to reflect something essential about the country at a particular moment in time,” O’Connell added.

Also on hand to celebrate Boyle were O’Connell’s “Ink” co-stars Claire Foy and Guy Pearce.

In his speech, Barbera said how pleased he was that, after a one-year hiatus, Variety’s pre-opening party was back since it has become “an integral part of the festival experience.”

“Tonight cocktail’s is much more than a social gathering. It’s a chance to celebrate cinema, but also the people who make it possible,” Barbera said. “Venice is about to become once again one of the great meeting places of world cinema; a unique crossroads bringing together directors, actors, producers, distributors, journalists, industry professionals, and of course, film lovers.”

He added, “Intense days lie ahead of us. Days filled with screenings, meetings, press conferences, discussion, discoveries, emotion, and, inevitably, a few surprises. Good surprises, I hope, of course.”

Variety co-editor-in-chief Ramin Setoodeh pointed out that Venice is “really the official launch of awards season. I can’t wait to see all the great movies that are going to be playing here!”

Also in attendance were Venice jury president Maggie Gyllenhaal, spotted chatting away with Boyle; directors Akinola Davies Jr. and Carolina Cavalli; Italian marketing guru and film festivals specialist Tiziana Rocca, who co-hosted the party; and lots of industry heavyweights including Italy’s RAI Cinema chief Paolo Del Brocco, producer Michael Ellenberg and actor, director and producer Maria Soccor.

The 83rd edition of Venice will run Sept. 2-12.