Lee Chang-dong becomes first Korean to win TIFF Ebert Director Award
Lee Chang-dong becomes the first Korean director to win the TIFF Ebert Director Award, a lifetime achievement honour recognising his three decades of cinematic innovation.
South Korean director Lee Chang-dong has become the first Korean filmmaker to receive the TIFF Ebert Director Award, a lifetime achievement honour presented annually at the Toronto International Film Festival. According to Yonhap, Netflix announced on 30 July that Lee will receive the prize at the festival's Tribute Awards ceremony on 13 September.
The award, named after late film critic Roger Ebert, recognises Lee's original vision and cinematic innovation across a career spanning nearly three decades. Previous recipients include Mexican director Guillermo del Toro, British filmmakers Mike Leigh and Sam Mendes, American director Spike Lee, Canadian director Denis Villeneuve and Chinese director Chloe Zhao.
The recognition arrives as Lee's first feature in eight years, "Possible Love", prepares for its North American premiere at the festival, which runs from 10–20 September. The film, backed by Netflix, stars Jeon Do-yeon, Sul Kyung-gu, Zo In-sung and Cho Yeo-jeong and follows the intertwined lives of two married couples — a laid-off worker and his wife, alongside an affluent documentary filmmaker and her husband.
"Possible Love" will have its world premiere at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival before a limited South Korean theatrical release on 23 September and a global Netflix launch on 6 November. Lee, 72, is one of Asia's most decorated directors. His achievements include best director at Venice for "Oasis" (2002), best screenplay at Cannes for "Poetry" (2010) and the FIPRESCI prize at Cannes for "Burning" (2018). The award caps a year of major festival recognition for Lee, whose work has long challenged narrative conventions and explored human vulnerability across shifting social landscapes.
