Danny Boyle's next film, Ink, is a high-octane journey into the media industry, painting a dark picture of what journalism once was and the watershed moment that's informed how we experience it now. The director, known for an array of films including Slumdog Millionaire and 28 Years Later, unpacks the rise of tabloid journalism in Ink, through the origin story of the UK outlet The Sun, under the leadership of editor Larry Lamb (Jack O'Connell) and media mogul Rupert Murdoch (Guy Pearce).
While promoting Ink at TIFF, Boyle spoke to The Direct about the importance he felt in making the film, particularly as he considers journalism one of the "pillars" of society, which is "under threat now." Pearce also shared a takeaway for modern journalists after watching Ink, adding that "[sticking] to the truth is vital."
Ink is scheduled for a theatrical release on December 11, before premiering on Netflix on January 8. For more coverage from The Direct at TIFF, take a look at our coverage of Zack Snyder's The Last Photograph.
Ink Captures a Moment That Altered Journalism Forever
“Without a Doubt, in Our Free Society, These Pillars, and Journalism Is One of Them... Are Under Threat...”
- The Direct: "So after making this film, what did you learn about the media industry, and are there any lessons you think modern journalists can take away?"
Danny Boyle: "I learned an enormous amount. I mean, I'm a news junkie anyway, and have been my whole life. I'm obsessed with news, and seeing it change in the last 10-15 years since the rise of technology, you realize how important journalism is, how important it was, and you can point out many notable examples of it.
Calling great powers to account with the truth, even though they don't want to hear the truth, and they'll use their lawyers to stop you from telling the truth. Great journalism stands up to that, and it's one of the things that's under threat now. Without a doubt, in our free society, these pillars–and journalism is one of them–that hold up the village that we all live in, that we all exist in together, is under threat.
So it was wonderful to be able to make a film that, in an entertaining way, addressed that, but also is a wonderful look at a period, a very flavorsome period, 1969/1970, as they set up this tabloid."
- The Direct: "Knowing what the media industry is today, are there any lessons you think that modern journalists could take from this film?"
Guy Pearce: "Stick to the truth. I think a lot of modern journalists do stick to the truth. I just think that there's a lot of people out there who are presenting media or who are hosting media who are kind of responsible for us being so consumed by media that we don't know what's true anymore. Whereas I think good journalists, good independent journalists who aren't swayed by corporate agendas, do tell the truth, and so I just think to stick to that is vital. It's really vital."
Watch the full red carpet interviews for Ink from TIFF below:
