[E-Daily Starin Choi Hee-jae Reporter] Director Lee Chang-dong became the first Korean to win the Ater Award at the 49th Mill Valley Film Festival.

Director Lee Chang-dong has once again proven his status as a master filmmaker by being selected as the first Korean recipient of an award at the 49th Mill Valley Film Festival, which will be held in San Francisco, U.S., starting on the 1st of next month.
The Mill Valley Film Festival is one of the most prestigious film festivals in the United States and is organized by the California Film Institute. The “Spotlight” program, to which *Possible Love* has been invited, highlights the latest works of artists who have established a unique artistic vision.
The Ather Award, presented in conjunction with this selection, honors the director’s unique cinematic universe and artistic achievements, serving as a testament to the worldwide acclaim “Possible Love” has received from the film community.
In addition to the Mill Valley Film Festival, Director Lee Chang-dong has received invitations from leading international film festivals, including Venice, Toronto, New York, San Sebastián, Zurich, and the Vancouver International Film Festival. He was the first Korean director to be selected as the recipient of the TIFF Everett Director Award at the 51st Toronto International Film Festival.
“Possible Love” tells the story of two couples—a laid-off worker and his wife, and a documentary director and her husband—who meet to produce a documentary and come face-to-face with each other’s different lives and hidden desires.

The teaser poster, released on the 3rd, shows a beach under the predawn sky with the moon still up. It depicts four people who, though in the same space, do not appear to be together but stand apart, each lost in their own thoughts. The image of “Mi-ok” (Jeon Do-yeon), sitting on the beach with an expression that reveals nothing of what she is gazing at, leaves viewers wondering what kind of life she has been living in the long time since her layoff and what emotions lie deep within her heart.
“Ho-seok” (Seol Kyung-gu), who is still grappling with the wounds of his past in the present, stands at a distance from “Mi-ok” but gazes in the same direction as her, sparking curiosity about what this married couple might be dreaming of together.
Meanwhile, “Sang-woo” (Jo In-sung), who stands alone with a smile on his face, gazing in a different direction, appears relaxed as he helps his wife, “Ye-ji” (Jo Yeo-jeong), film her documentary and mingles with “Mi-ok” and “Ho-seok” and their family. Yet, his true thoughts and emotions remain elusive, sparking curiosity about what lies within him.
“Ye-ji,” standing with a camera as if observing the characters, raises curiosity about how her sincerity and passion—as she seeks to connect with “Mi-ok” and “Ho-seok” to complete her documentary—will influence the dynamics among the four characters.
“Possible Love” was also selected as South Korea’s entry in the International Feature Film category for the 99th Academy Awards. It opens in select theaters on the 23rd and will be available on Netflix starting November 6.