Netflix is expanding the global availability of Lee Chang-dong’s back catalog following the Silver Lion win for his new drama “Possible Love” at the Venice Film Festival, part of a wider push to build audience interest ahead of the film’s theatrical and streaming release. The rollout marks the first time several of the Korean director’s earlier works have reached major international Netflix libraries simultaneously.
“Green Fish” and “Secret Sunshine” began streaming in Italy, Britain, France, Australia and New Zealand in late August. “Peppermint Candy” and “Oasis” followed in Italy and Spain on September 4. Netflix plans to add “Poetry” and “Burning” in markets including Japan, the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, though exact timing depends on the territory. The films will carry subtitles in up to six languages, including Korean.
“Possible Love” took the Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize Saturday, becoming the first South Korean film to win the honor and the first Korean film to claim a major Venice prize since Kim Ki-duk’s “Pieta” took the Golden Lion in 2012. The film marks Lee’s return to features after an eight-year absence and reunites him with Jeon Do-yeon, who won best actress at Cannes for his 2007 film “Secret Sunshine.” Sul Kyung-gu, Zo In-sung and Cho Yeo-jeong round out the cast. The story follows a laid-off factory worker and his wife whose lives intersect with a documentary filmmaker and her husband, as both couples confront desires they had kept buried.
Lee’s filmography stretches back to his 1997 debut “Green Fish” and includes several festival-circuit standouts. “Oasis” won him the directing prize at Venice in 2002, while its star Moon So-ri took home the Marcello Mastroianni Award. “Poetry” earned the best screenplay prize at Cannes in 2010. “Burning,” his most recent film before this one, competed for the Palme d’Or in 2018 and appeared on numerous critics’ year-end lists. At this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, Lee became the first Korean director to receive its Ebert Director Award.
“Possible Love” opens in South Korean theaters September 23, followed by Australia and New Zealand on October 22 and the U.K., Japan, the U.S. and Canada on October 23. It arrives on Netflix worldwide November 6, after additional festival stops at Toronto and the New York Film Festival. The film has also been selected as South Korea’s submission for the international feature category at the upcoming Academy Awards, positioning the awards push to build through the fall on the momentum of Lee’s older work reaching new viewers.
