Oasis

Recently released from prison, Jong-du seeks out the family of the man whose death led to his conviction. There, he meets Gong-ju, the man’s daughter, a young woman with cerebral palsy. Rejected by their families and pushed to the margins of society, the two form an unexpected bond: they discover a sense of freedom, challenging the conventions and prejudices that alienate them.

Digitally restored copy

Duration: 132’
Production year: 2002
Country: KR
Language: KO Subtitles: PT-BR, EN

Upcoming sessions

18:00

São Jorge Cinema

Room 3

Venice Film Festival 2002 — Silver Lion for Best Director; Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best Young Actor or Actress (Moon So-ri), FIPRESCI Prize
Toronto International Film Festival 2002

Lee Chang-dong

Born in Daegu in 1954, Lee Chang-dong is one of the most acclaimed South Korean filmmakers and novelists. After beginning his literary career in 1983, he turned to cinema in his forties, working first as a screenwriter and assistant director before making his directorial debut with Green Fish (1997). He went on to direct Peppermint Candy (1999), Oasis (2002), Secret Sunshine (2007), Poetry (2010) and Burning (2018), earning international acclaim and major awards. Oasis won the Silver Lion for Best Director at Venice Film Festival, while Secret Sunshine received the Best Actress award at the Cannes Film Festival for Jeon Do-yeon. From 2003 to 2004, Lee Chang-dong served as South Korea’s Minister of Culture and Tourism. His films explore isolation, desire, grief and social inequality through deeply compassionate portraits of individuals caught in moments of personal and historical upheaval. After an eight-year hiatus, he returned to cinema with Possible Love (2026), presented in Competition at Venice, where it received the Grand Jury Prize.