Lee Chang-dong’s New Film “Possible Love” Invited to New York Film Festival

Acclaimed director Lee Chang-dong is drawing intense attention from the global film world with “Possible Love,” a new work that breaks his 8-year silence. Netflix announced on the 6th that the film has been officially invited to the main slate category of the 64th New York Film Festival, confirming it as the fourth time the director has made the trip to New York across his career.

A collision of desire and class, the raw truth of an era the master observes

The New York Film Festival, running from Sept. 25 to Oct. 12, is a cinematic platform that boasts the highest authority in the United States. The main slate category is widely known as a section that selects only original masterpieces that lead the flow of the times. Lee Chang-dong has once again passed through this narrow gate after “A Midsummer’s Fantasy” (2007), “Poetry” (2010), and “Burning” (2018), proving his stature on the world stage. In particular, this invitation comes as a consecutive piece of good news ahead of next month’s 83rd “Venice International Film Festival” by marking the film’s first screening in the festival’s competitive section, underscoring international expectations for the work.

Denys Lim, artistic director of the New York Film Festival, praised “Possible Love” without reservation, saying, “A masterpiece that opens up the widest horizon in the director’s filmography.” He added, “It directly pierces the dominant dynamics that govern our lives—labor and capital, art and family—delivering an overwhelming resonance.” Produced by Netflix, the film meticulously dissects the secret collapse and hidden desires of two couples intertwined through a documentary project.

Casting that will dominate the screen is also a key point of interest. Sol Kyung-gu and Jeon Do-yeon will portray Ho-seok, a laid-off laborer standing on the edge, and Mi-ok, his wife, respectively, promising dense performances. Jeong-yi, a documentary director, and Sang-woo, her husband, who stand in opposition, are played by Cho Yeo-jeong and Zo In-sung, who tune a chilling tension. After “Possible Love” hits domestic theaters on Sept. 23, it will find its way into homes worldwide through Netflix on Nov. 6.