Eight years after “Burning,” Lee Chang-dong is preparing to return with Venice competition title “Possible Love,” but the acclaimed Korean filmmaker says the long gap was never about stepping away from cinema.
Speaking with Variety at the Malaysia International Film Festival (MIFFest), where he received a Lifetime Achievement Award, Lee says the years since “Burning” have changed him both personally and creatively.
“I’ve loved stories since I was young,” he says. “I’ve tried to understand life through stories. It’s also how I communicate with audiences. Just as I’m looking for stories, I’m also looking for meaning in life.”
Receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award has not prompted Lee to look back on his career. “It’s not an achievement. It’s more like encouragement that makes me want to make better films in the future.”
“Today, directors are judged by the box office and evaluated by the industry,” he adds. “But the key reason I keep making films is the audience – their facial expressions, their encounters with the film. Thanks to cinema, I feel connected to something much bigger.”
