[Edaily Starin Choi Hee-jae Reporter] “Hello. Nice to meet you.”

Director Lee Chang-dong greeted the international press at the official press conference for *Possible Love*, a film invited to the Competition section of the 83rd Venice International Film Festival, held at 12:40 p.m. (local time) on the 6th in Venice, Italy.
As Director Lee and the cast entered the press conference room, cheers and applause erupted from all around. After the press conference ended, a remarkable scene unfolded as reporters rushed to the front of the stage, vying to ask Director Lee for autographs. It was a moment that truly highlighted the international media’s keen interest in Director Lee Chang-dong—returning to the Venice Film Festival for the first time in 24 years—and his new film, *Possible Love*.
“Possible Love” is Director Lee Chang-dong’s first feature film in eight years since “Burning” (2008). Invited to the competition section of the 83rd Venice International Film Festival, the film made its global debut to the film industry alongside the official press conference held that day.
This marks Director Lee’s first visit to the Venice Film Festival in 24 years. Having previously won the Best Director Award (Silver Lion) at the Venice Film Festival for “Oasis” (2002), he is now competing for the festival’s top prize, the Golden Lion. Given that this is his first invitation to the Venice Competition section in 24 years since “Oasis,” all eyes are on how this new film will be received.
“Possible Love” is Director Lee Chang-dong’s new film, his first in eight years since “Burning.” The story follows two couples—Ho-seok (played by Sul Kyung-gu), a laid-off worker, and his wife Mi-ok (played by Jeon Do-yeon); and documentary director Ye-ji (played by Jo Yeo-jeong) and her husband Sang-woo (played by Jo In-sung)—who meet to produce a documentary and come face-to-face with each other’s different lives and hidden desires.

Director Lee began his remarks on the writing process for *Possible Love* by noting, “Eight years have passed since *Burning*.” He added, “Over those eight years, I felt that our lives themselves were changing rapidly.”
Referring to changes across society—including the COVID-19 pandemic—and shifts in human relationships, he explained, “I fundamentally pondered what power film holds in such times and whether it can still connect people.”
Director Lee explained, “I had in-depth discussions with screenwriter Oh Jeong-mi about what kind of film we could create,” adding, “I believe *Possible Love* encapsulates our reflections and questions about cinema, the world we live in, and the fundamentally changing nature of human relationships.”
A foreign journalist asked about the role of a storyteller in this era, noting, “Not only the film industry but also the media industry is undergoing significant changes and is often viewed as a dying industry.” In response, Director Lee referenced the character of the documentary director played by actress Jo Yeo-jeong.
Director Lee explained, “The film portrays Ye-ji’s approach and attitude toward filmmaking. She is a character who constantly questions what mindset one should have when filming someone’s life and what the relationship between them and myself should be.” He added, “I think Ye-ji is someone who is closely connected to my identity as a filmmaker and to my heart.”

For Director Lee, reflecting on how to tell the stories of others’ lives is a question that has long been on his mind. “It’s been an unavoidable question ever since I was young and writing novels,” he said. “The stories of the people I portray and their suffering—whether they’re workers, members of minority groups, or students fighting for democracy—I’ve always asked myself how close I am to them and to what extent I’m writing from their perspective when telling those stories.”
He also described *Possible Love* as “the story of all those who tell stories.” Director Lee remarked, “We might ask ourselves, ‘Aren’t our roles gradually shrinking? Aren’t we dying out?’ But in a sense, this connects to the fundamental question faced by all workers in this era—those who are doing all kinds of work yet are gradually losing sight of the meaning in their jobs.”
He also shared the meaning and message behind *Possible Love*. “I wanted to incorporate into the film questions about what we should do in times like these, how we should survive, and how we should find our sense of self and identity, and I wanted to reflect on these together with the audience,” he added.
Music Director Jeong Jae-il was in charge of the music for *Possible Love*. Director Jeong replied, “I believe music is meant to emphasize emotions from within the film itself, so I think musicality must be fully realized within the film. I believe the film has its own inherent tempo and rhythm.”
He continued, “I felt that the emotions this film aims to convey should be expressed through restrained music. Music director Jeong Jae-il and I discussed this point at length, and we fully understood and shared this vision,” adding, “I decided we needed to create music that is as restrained as possible while still conveying the invisible emotions we wanted to convey, allowing the music to reveal the film’s structure,” thereby heightening anticipation.
“Possible Love” opens in select theaters on the 23rd and will be released on Netflix on November 6.