{"id":14356,"date":"2026-11-07T08:55:02","date_gmt":"2026-11-07T08:55:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=14356"},"modified":"2026-11-07T08:55:02","modified_gmt":"2026-11-07T08:55:02","slug":"why-lee-chang-dongs-award-winning-possible-love-struggled-to-find-investors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=14356","title":{"rendered":"Why Lee Chang-dong’s award-winning ‘Possible love’ struggled to find investors"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A scene from “Possible Love” \/ Courtesy of Netflix<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Director Lee Chang-dong’s “Possible Love” has earned international acclaim, winning the Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival and securing invitations to major film festivals worldwide. Yet behind its remarkable success lies an uncomfortable reality: The film nearly never got made because it could not attract enough investment.<\/p>\n

The acclaimed project, released on Netflix on Friday, highlights a growing problem in the Korean film industry, where even internationally respected filmmakers and star-studded casts can struggle to secure financing.<\/p>\n

“Possible Love” follows two married couples whose lives intersect through the making of a documentary. One couple consists of a laid-off worker and his wife, while the other comprises a documentary filmmaker and her husband. As they become involved in the project, their contrasting lives and hidden desires come to the surface.<\/p>\n

The film marks Lee’s return to directing eight years after “Burning” and features an ensemble cast led by Sol Kyung-gu, Jeon Do-yeon, Zo In-sung and Cho Yeo-jeong.<\/p>\n

Even before its official streaming release, the film had established itself as a major international contender.<\/p>\n

It became the first Korean film to win the Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize at the Venice International Film Festival and was invited to the 51st Toronto International Film Festival and the 64th New York Film Festival.<\/p>\n

The film was also selected as Korea’s submission for best international feature film at the 99th Academy Awards.<\/p>\n

At the 36th Gotham Awards, often regarded as an early stop in the U.S. awards season, it received three nominations: best international feature, best screenplay and an outstanding lead performance nomination for Jeon.<\/p>\n

Following a limited theatrical release ahead of its Netflix debut, “Possible Love” received favorable reviews from critics and audiences. It also won best picture at the recently held 46th Korean Association of Film Critics Awards.<\/p>\n

Despite these achievements, the film’s journey to the screen was far from straightforward.<\/p>\n

The project was initially developed for theatrical release, with a reported production budget of approximately 8 billion won ($5.7 million).<\/p>\n

It was selected for a mid-budget Korean film production support program run by the Korean Film Council, securing 1.5 billion won in funding.<\/p>\n

However, the producers were unable to raise the remaining budget, leaving the project’s future uncertain.<\/p>\n

With no additional investors willing to commit, the film faced the possibility of cancellation, and the production team ultimately had to give up the government funding.<\/p>\n

The setback eventually created an opportunity for Netflix, which had already expressed interest in Lee’s project.<\/p>\n

That a film now celebrated at major international festivals struggled to secure financing in its home country raises troubling questions about the direction of Korea’s film industry.<\/p>\n

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, changes in moviegoing habits, declining theater attendance and growing uncertainty over box office returns have contributed to a contraction in film investment.<\/p>\n

In this environment, even projects involving acclaimed directors and established stars may fail to attract financing if their commercial prospects appear uncertain.<\/p>\n

Investors’ increasing focus on box office potential is understandable in a market where financial risks have grown. But the shift has also made it harder for unconventional projects and films exploring diverse subjects to move forward.<\/p>\n

Lee’s latest film was no exception.<\/p>\n

Big-budget commercial productions and genre films remain essential pillars of the Korean film industry. Yet as investment becomes concentrated in projects considered more likely to generate profits, smaller films and those with less predictable audience appeal risk being pushed aside.<\/p>\n

When filmmakers cannot secure the resources needed to complete their projects, audiences also lose opportunities to discover different kinds of cinema.<\/p>\n

The financing difficulties surrounding “Possible Love” illustrate how artistic merit and an acclaimed director’s reputation are no longer enough to guarantee that a film will be made.<\/p>\n

Its eventual international success makes the irony particularly striking: A film that struggled to find financial backing in Korea has become one of the country’s most celebrated cinematic achievements.<\/p>\n

The case serves as a warning that an investment system increasingly driven by commercial expectations could ultimately undermine the creative diversity that has helped Korean cinema earn global recognition.<\/p>\n

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, was translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

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A scene from “Possible Love” \/ Courtesy of Netflix Director Lee Chang-dong’s “Possible Love” has earned international acclaim, winning the Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival and securing invitations to major film festivals worldwide. Yet behind its remarkable success lies an uncomfortable reality: The film nearly never got made…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14357,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_2277560469115098_106292521332774":"","twitter_aToxNzczMzI3Njk4OTg4ODUxMjAxOw==_1773327698988851200":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_templately_pack_id":"","_templately_imported_at":"","_templately_source":"","_templately_import_session_id":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16,14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14356","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-korea","category-trending-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t