Netflix Brings Lee Chang-dong’s Acclaimed Films to Global Audiences

Following the Silver Lion (Grand Jury Prize) win of Possible Love at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival, Netflix is set to stream more of Director Lee Chang-dong’s acclaimed filmography worldwide, giving global audiences the chance to discover films including Secret Sunshine and Peppermint Candy.

Possible Love, Lee’s first film in eight years, opens in theaters in South Korea on September 23, followed by Australia and New Zealand on October 22, and the UK, Japan, the US, and Canada on October 23. It will premiere globally on Netflix on November 6.

Alongside the film’s release, a selection of Lee’s earlier work is becoming available on Netflix in additional countries. Green Fish and Secret Sunshine began streaming in late August in Italy, the UK, France, Australia, and New Zealand. Peppermint Candy and Oasis joined Netflix in Italy and Spain on September 4. Poetry and Burning are also planned for release in markets including Japan, the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

Availability and timing vary by country. Depending on the market, the films will be offered with subtitles in up to six languages, including Korean.

The expanded availability will make it easier for both longtime fans and viewers discovering Director Lee through Possible Love to explore the work of one of Korea’s most celebrated filmmakers and comfortably immerse themselves in the charm of Korean cinema with subtitles in their native language. It also reflects Netflix’s continued efforts to help outstanding Korean films be discovered and loved by more people across languages, cultures and borders.

Since making his debut with Green Fish in 1997, Lee has built a distinct body of work that includes Peppermint Candy, Oasis, Secret Sunshine, Poetry, and Burning. He has received major international honors, including Best Director at the 59th Venice International Film Festival for Oasis in 2002 and Best Screenplay at the 63rd Cannes Film Festival for Poetry in 2010. Most recently, he became the first Korean director to win the Ebert Director Award at the 51st Toronto International Film Festival.

Possible Love is a story of two couples — a laid-off worker and his spouse, and a documentary filmmaker and her spouse  — crossing paths to film a documentary and facing their different lives and hidden desires. Starring Jeon Do-yeon, Sul Kyung-gu, Zo In-sung and Cho Yeo-jeong, the film is also Korea's official submission for the Best International Feature Film category at the 99th Academy Awards®.