Lee Chang Dong’s Possible Love starring Jeon Do Yeon and Jo In Sung chosen as South Korea’s 2027 Oscars submission

Director Lee Chang Dong’s new film Possible Love, starring Jeon Do Yeon and Jo In Sung, has been selected as South Korea’s official submission for the Best International Feature Film category at the 2027 Academy Awards.

The Korean Film Council announced the decision on August 25, praising the film’s overall quality, clear message, visual style, and Lee Chang Dong’s detailed direction.

The selection committee described the film as a work with “deep humanism and delicate direction” and praised its complex characters and relationships. It also highlighted the performances of the four main actors, calling them “close to perfect.”

The committee said Possible Love explores themes including social class, freedom, happiness, love, and desire through the lives of two married couples from different backgrounds.

The film follows a dismissed worker and his wife, as well as a documentary filmmaker and her husband, whose lives become connected through the making of a documentary. The story gradually examines their different experiences and hidden desires without relying on a traditional genre structure.

Possible Love marks Lee Chang Dong’s first new feature film in eight years. The acclaimed director is known for films including Green Fish, Peppermint Candy, Oasis, Secret Sunshine, and Burning.

The project has also attracted attention for bringing together Jeon Do Yeon, Sol Kyung Gu, Jo In Sung, and Jo Yeo Jeong.

The Korean Film Council noted Lee Chang Dong’s previous international recognition, including Burning becoming the first South Korean film to reach the Academy Awards’ international feature shortlist under the category’s previous name.

Possible Love has already been invited to major international film festivals, including the competition section of the Venice International Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival’s Special Presentations, and the New York Film Festival’s Main Slate.

To meet Academy eligibility requirements for South Korea’s submission, the film must complete a domestic theatrical release by September 30, 2026. Possible Love is therefore scheduled to open in Korean theaters on September 23 before arriving on Netflix on November 6.

Being selected as South Korea’s official submission does not mean the film has been nominated for an Oscar. It will first need to advance through the Academy’s international feature selection process.