Two auteur directors representing the South Korean and Japanese film industries have side-by-side entered the competition section of the Venice International Film Festival.

Organizers of the 83rd Venice International Film Festival announced the 19 films invited to grace this year's competition lineup. Among them, the most notable are South Korean director Lee Chang-dong's new film "Possible Love" and Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda's new project "Look Back."

"Possible Love" follows the story of two couples—a laid-off worker and his wife, and a documentary director and her husband—who meet through the production of a documentary and confront their different lives and hidden desires. Directed by Lee Chang-dong, known for "Green Fish," "Oasis," "Secret Sunshine," and "Burning," the film stars Jeon Do-yeon, Sol Kyung-gu, Jo In-sung, and Cho Yeo-jeong.

This marks Director Lee Chang-dong's return to the Venice competition section for the first time in 24 years since "Oasis" in 2002. At the time, "Oasis" won a total of five awards, including the Silver Lion for Best Director and Moon So-ri winning the Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best New Actress.

Afterward, his subsequent works "Secret Sunshine," "Poetry," and "Burning" were all invited to the competition section of the Cannes Film Festival, keeping him away from Venice for quite some time. His new film "Possible Love" is a streaming movie produced by Netflix. While Cannes has closed its doors to OTT films, Venice has kept them open, making this invitation possible.

Following Park Chan-wook's "No Other Choice" last year, South Korean cinema has entered the Venice competition section for two consecutive years. "No Other Choice" received favorable reviews from critics throughout the festival and became a hot topic, but failed to win an award. Expectations are high as to whether Director Lee Chang-dong, returning to Venice after 24 years with "Possible Love," will bring good news.

Director Hirokazu Kore-eda's new film "Look Back" has also been invited to the competition section. Like Lee, Kore-eda has been a regular fixture at Cannes. He has been invited to the Cannes competition section multiple times and won the Palme d'Or, the festival's highest honor, in 2018 for "Shoplifters." Earlier this year, he was also invited to the competition section with "A Sheep in a Box."

Demonstrating vigorous creative drive, Director Kore-eda has received an invitation to the Venice competition section just four months later with his new work "Look Back." This marks his first invitation to Venice in seven years and his fourth entry into its competition section.

The live-action film "Look Back" is based on the short manga of the same name by Tatsuki Fujimoto, whose "Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc" sparked a global craze with 29.78 billion yen in worldwide box office revenue (3.45 million moviegoers in South Korea). The animated film adaptation released in 2024 won Animation of the Year at the 48th Japan Academy Film Prize and drew 3.2 million viewers in South Korea, receiving immense love.

The upcoming film "Look Back" is drawing high expectations from original manga fans and moviegoers alike as it is the first live-action adaptation of a work by Tatsuki Fujimoto.

The two films will engage in fierce competition for major categories, including the Golden Lion for best film, best director, and best actor and actress awards.

The Venice International Film Festival will open on September 2 on the Lido island near Venice.

(Photo: Yonhap News) (SBS Entertainment News, Reporter Kim Ji-hye)