Netflix Adds Lee Chang-dong Films After Venice Win — SkimNews
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- Netflix is expanding Lee Chang-dong's catalog worldwide after "Possible Love" won the Silver Lion (Grand Jury Prize) at the Venice Film Festival, adding titles including "Secret Sunshine" and "Peppermint Candy" to its library.
- "Possible Love" — Lee's first film in eight years — opens in South Korean theaters Sept. 23, followed by Australia and New Zealand on Oct. 22 and the U.K., Japan, the U.S. and Canada on Oct. 23, before premiering globally on Netflix Nov. 6.
- Earlier Lee titles are already rolling out: "Green Fish" and "Secret Sunshine" began streaming in late August in Italy, the U.K., France, Australia and New Zealand, while "Peppermint Candy" and "Oasis" joined the platform in Italy and Spain on Sept. 4, with "Poetry" and "Burning" planned for markets including Japan, the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
- Some territories will receive the films with subtitle options covering as many as six languages, including Korean.
- Lee Chang-dong debuted as a director with "Green Fish" in 1997 and has earned prior festival honors: the Venice directing prize for "Oasis" in 2002 and the Cannes screenplay award for "Poetry" in 2010; he also became the first Korean filmmaker to receive the Ebert Director Award at TIFF's 51st edition.
- "Possible Love" stars Jeon Do-yeon, Sul Kyung-gu, Zo In-sung and Cho Yeo-jeong and has been submitted as South Korea's entry for the best international feature film category at the 99th Academy Awards.
Why it matters: The Venice Silver Lion gives Netflix a marquee launch vehicle for a director's complete filmography across six-plus markets on a staged September-to-November rollout, ending a global theatrical window before streaming Nov. 6. With "Possible Love" submitted for the 99th Academy Awards' international feature category, Netflix gains a prestige Oscar-contender alongside a back-catalog expansion that makes Lee's six prior films newly accessible to worldwide subscribers.
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