First competition invitation in 24 years since Oasis; 12th Korean film in Venice competition history

Poster of 'Possible Love' (provided by Netflix)

Director Lee Chang-dong's new film Possible Love has been invited to the competition section of the 83rd Venice International Film Festival — his first Venice competition selection in 24 years, since 2002's Oasis. This marks the second consecutive year a Korean film has appeared in Venice's competition lineup, following Park Chan-wook's No Other Choice last year.

The festival will run September 2–12 in Venice, Italy. Alongside Cannes and the Berlin International Film Festival, Venice is regarded as one of the world's three major film festivals, with competition entries vying for the Golden Lion, the event's top prize.

A Return After Eight Years, Centered on Two Couples

Possible Love follows two married couples whose lives become entangled through the making of a documentary. A laid-off worker and his wife, and a documentary director and her husband, come to confront each other's differing life circumstances and long-hidden desires over the course of filming. The project marks Lee Chang-dong's return after eight years without a new feature since Burning (2018), and is produced by Netflix.

Venice artistic director Alberto Barbera described Lee Chang-dong at a press conference as "one of Korea's great directors." He also noted that the film draws inspiration from one installment of Krzysztof Kieślowski's The Decalogue (1989).

12th Korean Film in Competition, Narrowing Intervals

Possible Love becomes the 12th Korean film to enter Venice's competition lineup. While Korean cinema's presence in the Venice competition has historically accumulated through the achievements of individual directors, two consecutive years of invitations marks a shift from past patterns. Given that the previous case, No Other Choice, arrived after a 13-year gap, the interval between Korean entries has narrowed considerably in the past two years.

This year's competition also includes Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda's Look Back. Kore-eda previously presented Sheep in the Box in competition at the 79th Cannes Film Festival this past May, making Venice his second major festival competition appearance of the year.

Also featured in competition are Martin McDonagh's Wild Horse Nine, Werner Herzog's Bucking Fastard, Danny Boyle's Ink, and Casey Affleck's directorial work Company.

Past Selections and Award History

Korean cinema's best result in Venice competition remains Kim Ki-duk's Pieta, which won the Golden Lion in 2012 — Korea's first-ever win at the festival. Competition invitations were absent for years afterward until Park Chan-wook's No Other Choice broke the 13-year drought last year, though it did not go on to win an award.

For Lee Chang-dong personally, this is his second competition entry since Oasis. That film received the Best Director award, the Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best New Actor or Actress (Moon So-ri), and the FIPRESCI (International Federation of Film Critics) Prize at Venice in 2002. The new film marks his return to the same section 24 years later, with Sul Kyung-gu — who starred in Oasis — also appearing in this new work.

Possible Love has additionally secured a Special Presentations slot at the 51st Toronto International Film Festival. Attention now turns to how the film will be received across both festivals.

Sources

• Kookmin Ilbo, "Lee Chang-dong's Possible Love Invited to Venice Competition… 24 Years Since Oasis," 2026.07.23

• Yonhap News Agency, "Lee Chang-dong's Possible Love Invited to Venice Competition (Comprehensive)," 2026.07.23

• The Guardian, "Murdoch and Musk in the Crosshairs at Venice Film Festival," 2026.07.23