Director Lee Chang-dong becomes first Korean to win Auteur Award at Mill Valley Film Festival

Director Lee Chang-dong, whose first film in eight years has been drawing invitations from major film festivals around the world, has been named the recipient of the Auteur Award at the Mill Valley Film Festival in the United States.

According to Netflix and others, Lee was selected as the first Korean to receive the Auteur Award at the 49th Mill Valley Film Festival, held in San Francisco.

Organized by the California Film Institute, the Mill Valley Film Festival is one of the most prestigious film festivals in the United States. The Auteur Award honors a director's singular artistic vision and cinematic achievements. Lee's film "Possible Love" was also invited to the festival's Spotlight program, which showcases the latest work of artists who have built a distinctive creative world.

The recognition marks another first for Lee, who was previously named the first Korean director to receive the TIFF Ebert Director Award at the Tribute Awards of the 51st Toronto International Film Festival. "Possible Love," which has drawn attention from the global film community — including selections at Venice, Toronto, New York, San Sebastian, Zurich and Vancouver — had its world premiere at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival, which opened Wednesday (local time).

"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 hidden desires. The film stars Jeon Do-yeon, Sul Kyung-gu, Jo In-gong and Jo Yeo-jeong.