4 Venice Film Festival Picks Headed to Korea This Year

The Venice International Film Festival, counted among the world’s three major film festivals along with the Berlin International Film Festival and the Cannes Film Festival, has announced the lineup for its 83rd edition. The festival runs Sept. 2–12 (local time) in Venice, Italy. Directors named in competition this year include Werner Herzog, Nanni Moretti, Tsukamoto Shinya, Florian Zeller and Martin McDonagh. Below are the competition entries and invited films that already have release plans for Korea, and the directors who made them.

〈Possible Love〉 - Lee Chang-dong

Venice has long been more open than other major festivals to films backed by streaming platforms. Netflix original film 〈Possible Love〉 landed in competition, reflecting Venice’s history of welcoming platform-backed releases; the festival even awarded the Golden Lion to 〈Roma〉 in 2018. Could a similar outcome follow? Lee Chang-dong’s new film 〈Possible Love〉, his first since 〈Burning〉 eight years ago, has already generated buzz for its star-studded cast: Jeon Do-yeon, Seol Kyung-gu, Jo In-sung and Cho Yeo-jung. Described during production as portraying “two couples who have lived opposite lives,” the film follows a laid-off worker and his wife and a documentary director and her husband as the two couples meet to shoot a documentary and confront each other’s different lives and hidden desires. For Lee Chang-dong, the invitation is especially meaningful: it marks his return to Venice 24 years after 〈Oasis〉. After its Venice debut, the film will meet audiences in the Special Presentations section at the 51st Toronto International Film Festival and is scheduled to open in theaters on Sept. 23, ahead of a planned Netflix release in November.

〈Look Back〉 - Koreeda Hirokazu

For Koreeda Hirokazu, 2026 has been a packed year. In May at the Cannes Film Festival he was invited to the competition with 〈The Sheep in the Box〉, and this September he will walk the Venice red carpet with 〈Look Back〉. 〈Look Back〉 is an adaptation of Fujimoto Tatsuki’s short manga of the same name and tells the story of two women who dream of becoming manga artists: Fujino (Deguchi Natsuki · Nanase Furi) and Kyomoto (Makita Aju · Okada Roka). The short manga has already been adapted as an animation, and Koreeda pushed ahead with a live-action adaptation — he said that during the COVID-19 pandemic, when he wondered, “Was all the work I’ve done worth only this much?” the work that lifted him back up was 「Look Back」, explaining his reason for the live-action adaptation. He added, “I feel truly moved and honored to present this work again at the Venice International Film Festival, which screened my debut film 31 years ago.” This marks his fourth invitation to Venice and his first visit in seven years; 〈Look Back〉 will have its world premiere there. The film is scheduled to open in Korea in October.

〈Ink〉 - Danny Boyle

The festival’s opening film and one of the highlights of the competition is Danny Boyle’s 〈Ink〉. The director of 〈Trainspotting〉, 〈28 Days Later〉, 〈Slumdog Millionaire〉 and 〈127 Hours〉 draws on the era of fake news and sensational reporting to tell an episode involving Britain’s leading tabloid, The Sun. The piece is adapted for the screen by playwright James Graham from his own play and focuses on a newspaper and the people around it who, Boyle said, “redefined the contemporary landscape after challenging the established order.” It raises the question whether the film will sound an alarm about the current era or instead trace its origins. This is Boyle’s first-ever invitation to the Venice International Film Festival; being chosen as the opening film brings extra attention. Jack O’Connell plays editor Larry Lamb, Guy Pearce portrays media tycoon Rupert Murdoch, who acquired The Sun, and Claire Foy plays editor Jules Davies. After its Venice world premiere, 〈Ink〉 will also appear in the Special Presentations section at the 51st Toronto International Film Festival and is slated for release in Korea; the exact schedule is undecided.

〈Oasis: Don't Look Back in Anger〉 - Dylan Southern, Will Lovelace

Finally, while not a competition entry, the film that will have its world premiere at Venice is 〈Oasis: Don't Look Back in Anger〉. For many viewers this may be the most anticipated title: it documents the band Oasis reuniting for a world tour after roughly 20 years and includes the Gallagher brothers’ first joint interview in about two decades, with backstage access to Noel Gallagher and Liam Gallagher. The production also includes Academy Award-winning sound mixer James Mather (〈Top Gun: Maverick〉), sound supervisor Tan Willers (〈The Zone of Interest〉), cinematographer Harris Zambarloukos (〈Belfast〉, 〈Beetlejuice Beetlejuice〉), and editors George Cragg and Martina Zamolo. After its Venice screening, the film will play in Korean theaters in September and is scheduled for exclusive release on Disney+ at the end of the year; it’s worth seeing on the big screen while you can.