Jeon Do-yeon Aims to Become First Korean Actor Nominated for Oscars... 'Possible Love' Signals Full-Scale Academy Race

The film 'Possible Love' delivered good news to the Korean film industry by winning the Silver Lion (Grand Jury Prize) at the Venice International Film Festival, raising expectations for its performance in the U.S. Academy Awards race next March.

'Possible Love' won the Silver Lion (Grand Jury Prize) in the competition category at the closing ceremony of the 83rd Venice International Film Festival held at the Sala Grande theater on Lido Island, Venice, Italy, at 7:00 PM local time on the 12th.

Director Lee Chang-dong experienced the emotional moment of winning an award at Venice again 24 years after taking home the Best Director Award and Best New Actor Award (Moon Sori) for 'Oasis' in 2002.

It was a somewhat anticipated win. Following its premiere locally on the 7th, 'Possible Love' received rave reviews from critics and the press, and was even tipped as a contender for the Golden Lion, the festival's top prize. Some had also predicted acting awards for Jeon Do-yeon and Sul Kyung-gu, who delivered overwhelming performances in the film.

The honor of the award went to the film itself. The actors reportedly also preferred winning the Best Film award, which placed the spotlight on the movie rather than individuals.

The Venice International Film Festival win for 'Possible Love' is significant in many ways. Not only because of the symbolism of winning at Venice for the first time in 14 years since director Kim Ki-duk's 'Pieta' (2012), but also because this victory can serve as a stepping stone for entering the U.S. Academy Awards next March.

'Possible Love' was recently selected as South Korea's submission to compete in the U.S. Academy Awards. Made with Netflix's capital, 'Possible Love' is now able to prepare for the Oscar race with Netflix's full support. Major U.S. media outlets also predicted that Netflix will comprehensively support the Oscar campaign for 'Possible Love', which won the Silver Lion in Venice.

U.S. outlet IndieWire reported on the 11th that "Netflix is planning to push 'Possible Love' for Best Actress, Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best International Feature Film at the Oscars."

The primary goal for 'Possible Love' is becoming a final nominee for Best International Feature Film. As works from various countries that have won major prizes at the world's top three film festivals compete every year, securing a spot in the final five is no easy task. Director Lee Chang-dong previously reached the shortlist stage at the Academy for the first time for a Korean film with his previous work 'Burning'.

The only film that ultimately succeeded in this challenge was director Bong Joon-ho's 'Parasite'. 'Parasite' rewrote the history of Korean cinema by securing spots as a final nominee and winning a total of four awards, including Best International Feature Film, Best Picture, and Best Director.

With Netflix's robust support, 'Possible Love' is expected to aim not only for a nomination in Best International Feature Film but also for acting categories. Given the outpouring of critical acclaim for Jeon Do-yeon's passionate performance in Venice, its competitiveness is ample.

Starting with Venice, 'Possible Love' is scheduled to be submitted and screened consecutively at the Toronto, New York, San Sebastian, Zurich, Vancouver, and Busan International Film Festivals. This is expected to be a major schedule for promoting the film's international fame and recognition.

The film will be released early in local theaters on the 23rd, before meeting global viewers via Netflix on November 6.

(SBS Entertainment News, Reporter Kim Ji-hye)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.