‘Fighting an impossible fight is the only way to reclaim dignity’: Lee…
October 28, 2026 6:22am
The auteur’s new film– a study of labour, capital and the fallout of redundancy– won the grand jury prize at Venice. Telling tales of the disenfranchised is ‘ou...
The auteur’s new film– a study of labour, capital and the fallout of redundancy– won the grand jury prize at Venice. Telling tales of the disenfranchised is ‘our moral responsibility’, he saysA quintessential 21st-century horror story: a private equity firm has set its sights on your company. That’s the premise behind director Lee Chang-dong’s new film, Possible Love, and the idea for it first came more than a decade ago, when mass layoffs resulted in a standoff that “fundamentally changed the Korean labour movement”.In 2009, workers at Ssangyong Motors company protested against plans to lay off between 37 and 43% of the workforce, staging a historic 77-day strike and occupation of the factory that was eventually broken up by riot police. The Guardian reported this update on 2026-10-23 with additional details in the linked source coverage.
5-Second Takeaway
The auteur’s new film– a study of labour, capital and the fallout of redundancy– won the grand jury prize at Venice.
Why This Matters
Telling tales of the disenfranchised is ‘our moral responsibility’, he saysA quintessential 21st-century horror story: a private equity firm has set its sights on your company. That’s the premise behind director Lee Chang-dong’s new film, Possible Love, and the idea for it first came more than a decade ago, when mass layoffs resulted in a standoff that “fundamentally changed the Korean labour movement”.In 2009, workers at Ssangyong Motors company protested against plans to lay off between 37 and 43% of the workforce, staging a historic 77-day strike and occupation of the factory that was eventually broken up by riot police.
What Changed
- The Guardian published this report on 2026-10-23.
- The headline focus is "‘Fighting an impossible fight is the only way to reclaim dignity’: Lee Chang-dong on class warfare and his searing Oscar contender".
- The auteur’s new film– a study of labour, capital and the fallout of redundancy– won the grand jury prize at Venice.
- Telling tales of the disenfranchised is ‘our moral responsibility’, he saysA quintessential 21st-century horror story: a private equity firm has set its sights on your company.
- That’s the premise behind director Lee Chang-dong’s new film, Possible Love, and the idea for it first came more than a decade ago, when mass layoffs resulted in a standoff that “fundamentally changed the Korean labour movement”.In 2009, workers at Ssangyong Motors company protested against plans to lay off between 37 and 43% of the workforce, staging a historic 77-day strike and occupation of the factory that was eventually broken up by riot police.
- “Until that point in time in Korea, labourers’ rights were widely accepted,” Lee says, speaking through an interpreter in a central London hotel; “however, afterwards, the basic rights of labourers changed; to the public, they couldn’t be seen as more important than market profitability or corporate competitiveness.”.
- The auteur’s new film.
- a study of labour, capital and the fallout of redundancy.
Key Facts
- The Guardian published this report on 2026-10-23.
- The headline focus is "‘Fighting an impossible fight is the only way to reclaim dignity’: Lee Chang-dong on class warfare and his searing Oscar contender".
- The auteur’s new film– a study of labour, capital and the fallout of redundancy– won the grand jury prize at Venice.
- Telling tales of the disenfranchised is ‘our moral responsibility’, he saysA quintessential 21st-century horror story: a private equity firm has set its sights on your company.
Key Numbers
- The Guardian published this report on 2026-10-23.
- That’s the premise behind director Lee Chang-dong’s new film, Possible Love, and the idea for it first came more than a decade ago, when mass layoffs resulted in a standoff that “fundamentally changed the Korean labour movement”.In 2009, workers at Ssangyong Motors company protested against plans to lay off between 37 and 43% of the workforce, staging a historic 77-day strike and occupation of the factory that was eventually broken up by riot police.