[Edaily Starin Reporter YUN GI BACK ] Director Lee Chang-dong’s new film, “Possible Love”—his first in eight years—is set to premiere at one of the world’s most prestigious film festivals. As the director, who has long been recognized for both his artistic merit and popular appeal, returns to the Venice International Film Festival’s main competition for the first time in 24 years, attention is turning to South Korean cinema’s bid for the Golden Lion Award.

Netflix announced on the 24th that the film “Possible Love” has been officially invited to the competition section of the 83rd Venice International Film Festival, which will be held from September 2 to 12. Following its invitation to the 51st Toronto International Film Festival, the film has received a series of invitations from major international film festivals, once again proving its artistic merit. The Venice International Film Festival is considered one of the world’s three major film festivals, alongside Cannes and Berlin, and films invited to the competition section vie for the top prize, the Golden Lion.
“Possible Love” tells the story of a couple—one a laid-off worker and the other a documentary director—who meet while working on a documentary and come face-to-face with each other’s different lives and hidden desires. It is director Lee Chang-dong’s first new film in eight years since “Burning,” and is generating high anticipation with a cast featuring Jeon Do-yeon, Seol Kyung-gu, Jo In-sung, and Jo Yeo-jeong.
This invitation holds special significance for Director Lee Chang-dong. In 2002, his film “Oasis” was selected for the competition section at the 59th Venice International Film Festival, where it won five awards—including the Best Director Award and the Best Newcomer Award for Moon So-ri—elevating him to the ranks of world-class masters. Now, 24 years later, his film has once again been selected for the Venice competition section, allowing his artistic vision to be recognized on the international stage once more.

The Venice International Film Festival’s main competition is the festival’s core section, where winners of major awards, including the Golden Lion, are selected. With this invitation, “Possible Love” has become the 12th Korean film to be selected for the Venice main competition.
Attention is also focused on whether the film will win an award. The last time a Korean film won the Venice Golden Lion was in 2012 with director Kim Ki-duk’s *Pieta*. Last year, director Park Chan-wook’s *I Can’t Do Anything* was invited to the Competition Section but did not win an award. Expectations are growing within the film industry as to whether *Possible Love* can rewrite history by winning the Golden Lion for a Korean film for the first time in 13 years.
“Possible Love” will have its world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival and is scheduled to be released globally on Netflix afterward. This year’s Venice International Film Festival runs from September 2 to 12 (local time).