Danny Boyle shines on Film Fest Gent’s red carpet

Danny Boyle was the evening’s star attraction. The director of Trainspotting (1996), Slumdog Millionaire (2008) and 127 Hours (2010) received the Joseph Plateau Honorary Award for his contribution to cinema. Rather than rushing past the cameras, Boyle happily signed autographs and posed for photos with fans. His appearance offered a welcome reminder that even an Oscar-winning filmmaker can make time for the people who love his work. Slumdog Millionaire won eight Academy Awards, including Best Director, in 2009.

Danny Boyle entertaining his fans ©Sonny Plasschaert

Boyle was in Ghent to present Ink, his latest film, which explores how media mogul Rupert Murdoch transformed the British press. After acquiring The Sun in 1969, Murdoch and editor Larry Lamb developed a sensationalist tabloid formula that helped reshape the newspaper industry. Guy Pearce plays Murdoch, Jack O’Connell portrays Lamb, and Claire Foy stars as a fictional journalist. The film also revisits the controversial Page 3 feature and a notorious kidnapping that gripped Britain. Having opened the Venice Film Festival, Ink examines the relationship between media, power and public appetite.

and Italian director Tizza Covi (The Loneliest Man in Town) ©Sonny Plasschaert

The red carpet also welcomed filmmakers from across the world, including Moroccan-born French director Laïla Marrakchi (Strawberries), Russian filmmaker Vladlena Sandu (Memory), British director Grant Gee (Everybody Digs Bill Evans) and Italian director Tizza Covi (The Loneliest Man in Town). Other visiting directors included Eivind Landsvik (Low Expectations), Tibor de Jong (Honeyboys), and Argentine filmmakers Mariano Baez and Florencia Dávila (Donn Danseur du XXe siècle). Their presence reflected the festival’s international reach and its mix of established names and emerging voices.

The Joseph Plateau Honorary Award takes its name from Belgian physicist Joseph Plateau, whose phenakistoscope helped lay the foundations for moving images. Previous recipients include Emily Watson, Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, Céline Sciamma and Viggo Mortensen. Boyle was not the only recipient of the distinction at the 2026 festival: British actor Sir Tom Courtenay also received the award later in the event. Film Fest Gent’s 53rd edition runs from 7 to 18 October, with screenings and events across the city.