Venice: From his directorial debut "Green Fish" (1997) to his latest feature "Possible Love" (2026), Korean auteur Lee Chang-dong is celebrated for his realistic yet poetic portrayal of humanism and society. "Possible Love," which won the Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize at the 83rd edition of the Venice International Film Festival, continues this cinematic journey by exploring themes of human connection, hidden desire, and social status.
According to Yonhap News Agency, throughout his 30-year career as a filmmaker, Lee has focused on the lives of seemingly ordinary people and how they are both shaped by and shape society. Born in 1954 in Daegu, Lee majored in Korean language education and began his career as a high school teacher. After winning a major literary award in 1983, he started writing fiction while teaching and later transitioned into screenwriting.
In 1997, Lee made his debut in Korean cinema with "Green Fish," portraying the tragic fate of a young man whose life is disrupted by rapid urbanization. Through his second feature, "Peppermint Candy" (2000), which centers on a man affected by South Korea's tumultuous modern history, Lee established himself as a filmmaker who explores human trauma in harsh reality. He remained committed to his belief in the enduring power of human dignity, as he expressed in an interview with Yonhap News Agency.
Lee has also focused on society's marginalized, portraying an unlikely romance in "Oasis" (2002), his third feature, which won international acclaim and the Silver Lion for best director at the Venice International Film Festival. After serving as South Korea's culture minister, Lee returned with "Secret Sunshine" in 2007, starring Jeon Do-yeon, who won best actress at the Cannes Film Festival for her role in the film.
Lee's fifth feature, "Poetry" (2010), earned him a Cannes prize for best screenplay, weaving together beauty, suffering, and moral dilemmas. He explored the anxiety of young generations and social class divisions in "Burning" (2018), which competed at Cannes. "Possible Love," his first feature since 2018, examines forms of love through intertwined lives.
Speaking at Venice, Lee noted how society changes, engulfing people's lives without giving them much to act upon. Yet, human connection, or love, seems to save ordinary people from such situations. Known for posing questions rather than delivering clear-cut messages, Lee wants his films to leave audiences with questions and connect cinema to life.
In his acceptance speech for the Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize, Lee reaffirmed his determination to keep asking questions through cinema, emphasizing the fading meaning of labor and severed human connections in today's era. He sees the award as a sign that audiences want him to continue exploring these questions through his films.
Source: Yonhap News Agency