Lee Chang-dong's Possible Love wins Venice Silver Lion
Lee Chang-dong's Ga-neung-han Sa-rang (Possible Love) won the Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize, the second prize, at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival. The festival named the South Korean entry among its Official Award winners on 11 September 2026, according to La Biennale.
It is the first Korean film to take that prize, according to Outlook India. Lee previously won Best Director at Venice for Oasis. The new film is his first in eight years. It runs 164 minutes. Its original title is listed as GA-NEUNG-HAN SA-RANG.
Possible Love is directed by Lee Chang-dong and written by Lee with Oh Jung-mi. It follows two married couples, a laid-off worker and his wife and a documentary film-maker and her husband, whose paths cross during the filming of a documentary. TIFF describes it as a tale of two couples dealing with relationships and generational and class divides. Netflix is listed as distributor, according to Deadline.
The film played in competition, the main line-up competing for top awards, at Venice 2026. It drew a 6.5-minute ovation at its world premiere, according to Deadline. Venice chief Alberto Barbera called the film very strong ahead of the awards.
Jeon Do-yeon, Sul Kyung-gu, Cho Yeo-jeong and Zo In-sung joined Lee for a Deadline studio panel in Toronto. Sul plays Ho-seok. He said people from any country may find themselves in the shoes of his character, calling it a scary thought. Zo said concerns about job security are a global trend tied to AI and the falling value of human labour.
At the Toronto International Film Festival, the film was listed in Special Presentations, a showcase section for high-profile titles. TIFF listed it as a North American premiere. Its first screening was listed as Monday 14 September at the Royal Alexandra Theatre, with another screening listed for Friday 18 September at 11:00 AM. The festival programme also included a VISIONARIES onstage conversation with Lee tied to the film.
Lee was also set for the TIFF Tribute Awards alongside Penélope Cruz, Rosalind Eleazar, Siân Heder and Isabelle Huppert. The tribute line-up honours acting and directing achievements during the festival. That put Possible Love at the centre of Toronto as well as Venice, after its run through the Venice competition.
For fans, this means two markers to follow. Venice decided the prize. Toronto gave North American audiences a first look. The distributor listing points to where to watch for release plans.
