Not the Golden Lion, but enough: Lee Chang-dong wins Venice Grand Jury Prize after 24 years

Lee Chang-dong, a master of South Korean cinema, won the Venice International Film Festival's second-highest honor, the Grand Jury Prize, for his new film Possible Love at the festival's 83rd edition. The award marks a welcome return to Venice 24 years after he won the Best Director prize for Oasis in 2002. Lee said, "Some may be disappointed that it wasn't the Golden Lion, but this trophy alone carries enough meaning for me," expressing his deep satisfaction with the honor.

Master filmmaker breaks 24-year silence with an unflinching look at others' suffering

At an awards news conference and a Netflix question-and-answer session held on the island of Lido in Venice, Italy, on the 12th local time, Lee shared his characteristically philosophical reflections. He said the biggest source of motivation was not the weight of the trophy but "the vivid expressions on the faces of the audiences I first encountered in Venice and the exchange of emotions." The Grand Jury Prize represents more than a personal honor, offering encouragement from the global film community to engage audiences in more searching questions at a time when filmmakers are grappling with increasingly profound dilemmas.

The acclaimed Possible Love follows the intersecting paths of Ho-seok (Seol Kyung-gu), a laid-off worker, his wife Mi-ok (Jeon Do-yeon), documentary filmmaker Ye-ji (Jo Yeo-jeong), who films their harsh lives, and her husband Sang-woo (Jo In-sung). Through the stories of two couples from starkly different social classes, the film dissects a chilling cross-section of modern society.

The film's foundation lies in the mass layoffs at a major corporation that rocked South Korean society more than a decade ago. Lee said the film grew out of "the social repercussions left by the workers' strike and the series of events surrounding its forced suppression, as well as the devastating shock I felt as a creator." He said he had also asked himself tough questions about "modern cinema's tendency to simply consume other people's suffering," stressing that making a film is itself a noble process of sharing that pain and seeking a path toward healing.

Ensemble extends beyond the screen as film heads to theaters on the 23rd and Netflix in November

An entertaining story from behind the awards ceremony also drew attention. Lee said lead actor Jo Yeo-jeong had dreamed of good fortune and sold the dream to him, adding with a laugh, "It seems that dream was transformed into Venice luck."

Lee shared the celebration remotely with Jeon Do-yeon, Seol Kyung-gu, Jo In-sung and Jo Yeo-jeong, who could not attend the Venice festivities because of their schedules at the Toronto International Film Festival. He praised and thanked the lead cast, saying, "The overwhelming ensemble they created drew lavish praise here."

Possible Love, which raises a searching ethical question about recording the scars of others, will receive an early release at select theaters in South Korea on the 23rd before reaching viewers worldwide on the global streaming platform Netflix on Nov. 6.