Lee Chang-dong wins Mill Valley Film Festival Auteur Award, first Korean recipient

Lee Chang-dong has become the first Korean filmmaker to receive the Auteur Award at the Mill Valley Film Festival, just as his new film Possible Love prepares for its international debut.

Netflix said on Sept. 3 that the award recognizes the distinctive body of work and cinematic achievements Lee has built over his career. The Mill Valley festival, held each October in San Francisco and organized by the California Film Institute, invited Possible Love to its Spotlight program, which highlights new films by acclaimed auteurs.

The recognition follows another honor for Lee. He was previously selected to receive the Ebert Director Award at the 51st Toronto International Film Festival, scheduled for Sept. 10. Possible Love has also been invited to the competition section of the 83rd Venice International Film Festival, which opened on Sept. 2. The film is set to have its world premiere there on Sept. 6.

Possible Love follows two couples who meet while making a documentary: a dismissed worker and his wife, and a documentary director and her husband. Their encounter brings them face to face with different lives and concealed desires. The film will be released in Korean theaters on Sept. 23 before arriving on Netflix in November.