Tribute to feature special screenings of the director's landmark works alongside a newly launched Korean film section

Photo of Lee Chang-dong (provided by THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER)

The Malaysia International Film Festival (MIFFest) has officially announced that Korean director Lee Chang-dong will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at its 9th edition, running July 18–25 in Kuala Lumpur. The festival described Lee as "a filmmaker whose work continues to resonate across cultures and generations through its honesty, compassion, and profound understanding of humanity." As part of the tribute, two of his landmark films — Peppermint Candy (1999) and Oasis (2002) — will be screened at the festival.

Lee Chang-dong first established himself as a novelist in the 1980s, writing while working as a high school teacher. He came to filmmaking relatively late, only turning to directing in his forties. Yet the six features he has made over the ensuing three decades have all drawn significant attention at major international film festivals, securing his reputation as one of Korea's foremost auteur directors. That standing is reflected in how international outlets have described him: an auteur's auteur, particularly cherished by critics and cinephiles.

Lee's trajectory on the international festival circuit began in earnest when Oasis won the Director's Award (Premio per la miglior regia) at the Venice International Film Festival in 2002. Secret Sunshine (2007) brought Jeon Do-yeon the Best Actress Prize at Cannes, and Poetry (2010) won the festival's Best Screenplay Award. Burning (2018) received the FIPRESCI Prize at Cannes and became the first Korean film to be shortlisted for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film, further cementing Lee's global reputation.

Lee is currently in preparation for Possible Love, a new Netflix feature starring Jeon Do-yeon, Seol Kyung-gu, Jo In-sung, and Jo Yeo-jeong. His first feature since Burning, the project has already attracted considerable attention from the international film community ahead of its release.

The tribute to Lee Chang-dong carries additional significance in the context of MIFFest's broader turn toward Korean cinema this year. For its 9th edition, the festival has launched a dedicated new section titled "Korean Cinema: A Culture in Motion," which will screen Bluefish by director Lee Sang-hoon and Mr. Kim Goes to the Cinema by Kim Dong-ho — the founder of the Busan International Film Festival, who has served as MIFFest's Honorary Chairman for nine years. The introduction of this Korean cinema section, alongside the tribute to Lee Chang-dong, signals that Korean film is now being recognized as an independent strand within the MIFFest program — and reflects a deepening, sustained relationship between the festival and the Korean film industry.

Sources

• Variety, "Lee Chang-dong to Receive Lifetime Achievement Honor at Malaysia's MIFFest," 2026.06.09

• The Hollywood Reporter, "Lee Chang-Dong to Receive Malaysian Film Festival's Lifetime Achievement Honor," 2026.06.09

• New Straits Times, "#SHOWBIZ: 9th MIFFest premieres Malaysian film about hope and survival," 2026.06.09