Lee Chang-dong’s ‘Possible Love’ Selected as South Korea’s Oscar Submission

UPDATE: Oscar season is already heating up, with countries beginning to lock in their 2027 International Feature Film submissions earlier than usual. Belgium selected Lukas Dhont’s Cannes-winning WWI drama “Coward,” while Germany is going with Sandra Wollner’s “Everytime.” Other early selections include Austria’s “Rose” and the Czech Republic’s “If Pigeons Turned to Gold,” while Cristian Mungiu’s “Fjord.”

EARLIER: South Korea has selected Lee Chang-dong’s “Possible Love” as its submission for the Best International Feature Oscar, choosing it over Na Hong-jin’s “Hope.”

This is an exciting selection. Maybe the film will prove to be a potentially serious contender rather than merely a country submission; Lee Chang-dong’s reputation, Netflix backing, and a major festival run—including Venice, TIFF, and NYFF—make for a strong awards setup.

Honestly, looking at what’s been announced so far by the fall festivals—Venice, TIFF, and NYFF—not much is being feverishly anticipated, with a few exceptions, “Possible Love” among them, from one of the very few true masters premiering a new film.

It’s been a long, silent stretch since Lee’s “Burning” lit up Cannes back in 2018—over eight years, to be exact. But the revered South Korean filmmaker of melancholic realism is readying his return. The runtime is also ambitious: 2 hours and 44 minutes.

The story involves “two couples whose vastly different lifestyles create unexpected intersections, leading to disruptions in their seemingly stable routines.” Much like Asghar Farhadi’s Cannes-premiered “Parallel Tales,” this is another part of producer Maciej Musiał’s new Dekalog project inspired by Kieślowski—only eight more to go. No word yet on which chapter Lee’s film tackles.

“Burning”—arguably Lee’s best—capped off a run that includes “Poetry,” “Secret Sunshine,” and “Peppermint Candy,” all acclaimed works. Netflix or not, this one’s shaping up to be the major event of the upcoming Venice Film Festival.

So, what might contend for the International Feature Oscar? There’s “Possible Love,” maybe a few surprises from Venice, but the main titles being mentioned seem to all be from Cannes: Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s “All of a Sudden,” Cristian Mungiu’s “Fjord,” Andrey Zvyagintsev’s “Minotaur,” Los Javis’ “La Bola Negra,” Lukas Dhont’s “Coward,” and Pawel Pawlikowski’s “Fatherland.”

“Possible Love” hits theaters on October 23 and arrives on Netflix on November 6.