Lee congratulates director Lee Chang-dong on Venice jury prize

President Lee Jae Myung congratulated director Lee Chang-dong on Sunday after the filmmaker won the Grand Jury Prize at the Venice International Film Festival, saying he was delighted that earlier expectations had borne fruit.

Lee posted on X, formerly Twitter, to announce the award. "I offer my heartfelt congratulations again to the director and all the actors and crew," he wrote, adding that he would continue to cheer on "the brilliant journey of Korean cinema."

He said that when he met the director and cast at the Lumière Summit, he had heard firsthand about the strong local interest in the film. "I am all the more pleased that the expectations from that time have led to such a fine result," he said.

Lee added that he hoped the award would broaden the diversity of Korean cinema and help more great works reach audiences around the world.

Lee Chang-dong received the Grand Jury Prize — the festival's second-highest honor — for his new film "Possible Love" on Saturday (local time) at the Venice International Film Festival.

President Lee had met the director and cast at the Lumière Summit, a film and content industry conference held in France on Monday, where they discussed the future of the film industry.

"Possible Love" is Lee Chang-dong's first film in eight years since "Burning" (2018) and his first Netflix production, starring Jeon Do-yeon, Sul Kyung-gu, Jo In-sung and Jo Yeo-jeong.

Accepting the award, Lee credited his lead actors. "I thank Jeon Do-yeon, Sul Kyung-gu, Jo In-sung and Jo Yeo-jeong, the four who gave this film its life. This award belongs to you," he said.

He then explained his motivation for making the film. "In an age when labor is disappearing, in an age when the bonds between people are fraying, I made this film to ask what cinema can do and what cinema must do," he said. "I will take this award as an encouragement to keep asking that question."

It is the first time a Korean film has won a prize in the main competition at the Venice International Film Festival since Kim Ki-duk's "Pieta" took the Golden Lion in 2012 — a gap of 14 years. It is also the first time a Korean film has won the Grand Jury Prize.

For Lee Chang-dong personally, the Venice win comes 24 years after he received the Silver Lion for Best Director for "Oasis" at the same festival in 2002.

Earlier, "Possible Love" had also won the FIPRESCI Prize, awarded by the International Federation of Film Critics, the day before the official awards ceremony.