Lee Chang-dong returns to Venice with Possible Love after 24-year festival absence

Venice premiere and reception

South Korean director Lee Chang-dong presented his feature film Possible Love at the Venice Film Festival on Sunday evening, 6 September 2026. The screening took place inside the Sala Grande cinema, marking the director's return to the Venice competition after 24 years, following his Silver Lion win for Oasis in 2002. Audience members and critics greeted the screening with a standing ovation lasting between six and seven minutes, depending on the account. Festival staff ended the applause at the six-minute mark to guide the cast toward the exit and clear the hall for the subsequent premiere.

Cast members Jeon Do-yeon, Sul Kyung-gu, Cho Yeo-jeong, and Zo In-sung embraced and wept during the ovation before bowing alongside Lee. The film represents Lee's first directorial release in eight years, following his 2018 psychological thriller Burning.

Narrative and thematic inspiration

Co-written by Lee and his Burning collaborator Oh Jung-mi, Possible Love centers on two married couples from different social classes whose paths cross after a funeral. The plot follows Ho-seok (Sul Kyung-gu), a blue-collar worker left traumatized and struggling to communicate after losing his factory job in the wake of a strike. Ho-seok lives quietly with his optimistic wife, Mi-ok (Jeon Do-yeon), and their young son, Cheol. Their lives change when they meet Ye-ji (Cho Yeo-jeong), a documentary filmmaker chronicling laid-off laborers, and her wealthy husband, Sang-woo. Friction develops between both households once Mi-ok agrees to participate in Ye-ji's documentary project.

Lee based the premise on mass layoffs that took place at a South Korean conglomerate several years ago, though he initially paused work on the script to question his role in adapting the topic into fiction.

I started to ask myself: Am I worthy of telling a story like this? I mean, do I have the right? Documentaries had already been filmed about the subject. Could I really justify turning this into a dramatic film? I couldn't get a clear answer to that question, so I shelved the project.

Cast reunion and creative approach

Possible Love reunites Lee with central actors from his previous productions. Jeon previously won the best actress award at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival for Lee's Secret Sunshine, while Sul led the cast in Peppermint Candy in 1999 and Oasis in 2002. They perform alongside Cho, known for Bong Joon Ho's Parasite, and Zo, known for Escape From Mogadishu and Moving. Across three decades, the former South Korean culture minister has completed six feature films, including Green Fish and Poetry. Lee addressed the long intervals between his projects during festival discussions.

I'm not the type of filmmaker who can make movies easily. Before I begin a film, I must be certain of what it means -- to me, to the audience, and to cinema itself. That is why 'Possible Love' took so long to make.

Production and international rollout

The film is a co-production between Anonymous Content, NOWFILM, and Pinehouse Film, with financing and global distribution managed by Netflix. The Korean Film Council chose Possible Love as South Korea's official submission for the Best International Feature category at the Academy Awards. Following its Venice premiere, the film is scheduled for additional festival screenings in Toronto and New York. Netflix planned an Oscar-qualifying theatrical release starting in the United States on 23 October 2026, before making the title available for worldwide streaming on 6 November 2026.