Lee Chang-dong’s Possible Love is Venice’s breakout film and Netflix’s awards spearhead

Possible Love has emerged as one of the Venice Film Festival’s most talked-about films. Reports from the event describe the project as a sensation among critics and industry attendees, signalling a strong reception for Lee Chang-dong’s latest work. The film’s appearance at Venice has immediately placed it in the international spotlight; the festival’s platform is amplifying attention on the director’s return and giving global audiences a first look at what industry observers are calling a significant new title from South Korea. While detailed critical scores and audience metrics were not specified, the general sense of acclaim at Venice has helped propel Possible Love into early awards-season discussions.

Possible Love is Lee Chang-dong’s first feature film since Burning, marking an important moment in the director’s career. Burning was the filmmaker’s previous project, and the new film represents his re-entry into international cinema after that release. The appearance at Venice underscores the level of anticipation that accompanies any new work from Chang-dong, whose films have previously drawn attention on the festival circuit. Possible Love’s Venice showing therefore functions not only as a premiere of a new title but as a barometer for how critics, peers and awards bodies will receive the director’s latest creative choices.

Possible Love reunites Lee Chang-dong with actors Jeon Do-yeon and Sul Kyung-gu. Their involvement has been highlighted as a key part of the film’s appeal, given both performers' reputations. The casting of Jeon and Sul alongside Chang-dong’s return has added a further layer of interest for festival-goers and awards-watchers, who often look to established actor-director collaborations as markers of a film’s creative ambitions. Pairing these players with Chang-dong’s filmmaking sensibility has helped the film stand out at Venice and in subsequent industry conversations.

Possible Love has been selected as South Korea’s submission for the Academy Awards’ international feature category. That designation places the film in a prominent national position as it moves into awards season, signalling confidence from Korean selectors in its potential to compete on the Academy stage. An official submission typically carries both symbolic and practical significance: it draws attention from awards campaigns and can influence international distributors, festival programmers and critics. In Possible Love’s case, the backing from its country adds to the momentum it built at Venice and strengthens its profile ahead of the wider awards calendar.

Alongside the film’s festival buzz and national Oscar bid, Netflix is identifying Possible Love as its leading awards contender. The streamer’s support gives the film's campaign substantial promotional and strategic muscle. As a centrally promoted title on Netflix’s awards slate, Possible Love benefits from the platform’s ability to run targeted campaigns, secure screenings for critics and Academy voters, and sustain visibility through its distribution channels. Netflix’s positioning of the film as a top contender makes it a focal point in the company’s awards ambitions for the season and signals that the streamer is prioritising Lee Chang-dong’s work in its awards strategy.

The convergence of Venice buzz, a high-profile cast reunion, South Korea’s official Oscar submission and Netflix’s backing has put Possible Love on a fast-moving trajectory into awards season. That trajectory, however, remains contingent on the usual festival-to-awards dynamics: critical consensus, campaign rollout and the film’s reception beyond Venice. For now, Possible Love stands as a major early contender in international film conversation thanks to Lee Chang-dong’s return and the combined validation of festival attention and institutional support. How that momentum translates into nominations and awards remains to be seen as the industry moves deeper into the season.