[Anchor]

Director Lee Chang-dong's film "Possible Love" has won the Silver Lion, the second-highest prize, at the Venice Film Festival. Director Lee stated that he will continue to question what cinema can do in this era.

Reporting from Venice, this is correspondent Kwon Yeongin.

[Reporter]

[Maggie Gyllenhaal / Venice Film Festival Jury President: Grand Jury Prize, "Possible Love" by Director Lee Chang-dong.]

The Grand Jury Prize at this year's Venice Film Festival, the world's oldest film festival, went to Director Lee Chang-dong's "Possible Love".

Even as a master well past his seventies, he still appeared shy and humble when receiving the Silver Lion trophy.

However, his acceptance speech carried a heavy message.

[Lee Chang-dong / Director of "Possible Love": In an era where labor is disappearing, and in an era where human-to-human relationships are being severed, I made this film to question what cinema can do, and what cinema must do.]

The Grand Jury Prize is the most prestigious award after the Golden Lion, the highest honor.

Director Lee, who previously won the Best Director award at the Venice Film Festival in 2002 for the film "Oasis", has once again received the Silver Lion 24 years later with his new work "Possible Love", released 8 years after his previous film.

This marks the first time a Korean film has won an award in the competition section of the Venice Film Festival in 14 years, since the late director Kim Ki-duk won the Golden Lion for "Pietà" in 2012.

"Possible Love" centers around the recording process of a documentary director who captures the pain of a couple whose lives are shaken by a large corporation's mass layoffs.

Prior to this award, the film also won the FIPRESCI (International Federation of Film Critics) Award, repeatedly receiving recognition for its artistic merit, and has been submitted to the U.S. Academy Awards scheduled for March next year.

[Lee Chang-dong / Director of "Possible Love": I have high expectations for whether the story we are trying to tell in the film will be shared with the audience and resonate with one another.]

The Golden Lion at this year's Venice Film Festival was awarded to "Woman Unknown" by director Mai Eltoukhy, set in Denmark during World War II, while the Silver Lion for Best Director went to director Ilya Khrzhanovsky for "DAU".

Director Lee Chang-dong's "Possible Love" will head to the Toronto International Film Festival before premiering to domestic audiences starting on the 23rd.

(Photo: Kim Si-nae | Video Editing: Choi Hye-ran)