Lee Chang-dong's 'Possible Love' selected as South Korea's Oscar submission

Director Lee Chang-dong's latest film, "Possible Love," has begun its journey toward the Academy Awards, with a limited theatrical release set for next month.

The Korean Film Council announced Tuesday that "Possible Love" has been selected as South Korea's submission for the International Feature Film category at the 99th Academy Awards, scheduled for March next year.

Lee's first film in eight years since "Burning" (2018), "Possible Love" follows two couples — a laid-off worker and his wife, and a documentary filmmaker and her husband — who meet during the production of a documentary and come face to face with each other's contrasting lives and hidden desires.

The Netflix original has drawn considerable attention for its cast, which includes some of South Korea's most prominent actors: Jeon Do-yeon, Sul Kyung-gu, Jo In-sung and Jo Yeo-jeong.

The film has already attracted international attention ahead of its release, earning a spot in the main competition at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival next month and an official invitation to the Special Presentations section of the 51st Toronto International Film Festival.

The Korean Film Council selects one Korean film each year for submission to the International Feature Film category, at the request of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This year's selection panel comprised 15 jurors, chaired by film critic Jeong Seong-il.

The jury praised "Possible Love" for its overall quality, the clarity of the director's vision and the excellence of its mise-en-scène, while also highlighting Lee's characteristic humanism, nuanced direction, and the richly layered portrayal of its characters and their relationships.

Whether the film advances to the shortlist of preliminary candidates will be confirmed later this year.