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Lee Chang-Dong to Receive Lifetime Achievement Honor at Malaysia’s MIFFest
The Apex Times

THE APEX TIMES

Culture/The Apex Times/Jun 10, 3:10 AM EDT

Lee Chang-Dong to Receive Lifetime Achievement Honor at Malaysia’s MIFFest

The Malaysian film festival will present the lifetime achievement award to the South Korean director, with screenings planned for films including “Peppermint Candy” and “Oasis,” while he prepares a new Netflix-backed feature.

2 min readEditor-approved Apex article

South Korean filmmaker Lee Chang-Dong will receive the lifetime achievement award at this year’s Malaysia International Film Festival, organizers announced as they released the program for the ninth edition of MIFFest in Kuala Lumpur. The festival runs July 18 through July 25, and the tribute is scheduled as part of the event’s lineup of international films and special screenings.

In announcing the honor, MIFFest president Joanne Goh praised Lee as “a filmmaker whose work continues to resonate across cultures and generations through its honesty, compassion, and profound understanding of humanity.” She added that his films “remind us of cinema’s unique ability to inspire empathy, provoke reflection, and connect us through shared human experiences,” language the festival used to frame the lifetime award as both artistic recognition and a public-facing cultural moment.

The festival said it will include a special tribute to Lee that features screenings of two of his early landmark films. The program will show “Peppermint Candy” (1998) and “Oasis” (2002), according to the MIFFest announcement reported by The Hollywood Reporter.

Lee is internationally known for a small number of feature films produced over a multi-decade career. His work has been recognized across major film festivals, and MIFFest is positioning him as a figure whose influence extends beyond markets, including an emphasis in the festival’s statement on the emotional and human themes in his storytelling.

MIFFest’s decision also arrives as Lee prepares his latest feature. The Hollywood Reporter reported that his new film is backed by Netflix and is being treated as a potential contender on the European festival circuit, including the Venice Film Festival, depending on the film’s eventual release and submissions schedule.

Beyond the tribute, MIFFest’s wider programming reflects the festival’s scale for 2026. Variety reported that the Kuala Lumpur event will include 65 films from 35 countries, underscoring that the lifetime achievement honor is being integrated into a broader international slate rather than a standalone gala.

The next step for attendees and industry participants will be the festival program rollout and ticketing details, along with the timing of the Lee tribute screenings within the July 18 to 25 calendar. For readers tracking Lee’s next project, coverage will likely shift toward production and festival submission updates as the new film’s path to audiences and juries becomes clearer.

Why It Matters

  • The lifetime achievement honor places a high-profile international filmmaker at the center of a major regional festival, shaping what audiences and filmmakers in Malaysia can access during the July window.
  • Festival scheduling and programming around the tribute will affect attendees seeking specific screenings of Lee’s earlier films.
  • The Netflix-backed new project adds distribution and industry interest to the festival period, as it may intersect with submission and festival-circuit timing.
  • MIFFest’s scale, with films from multiple countries, suggests the honor is part of a broader cultural and economic investment in international film programming rather than a niche sidebar.
  • The public tribute screenings can influence how new audiences encounter Lee’s earlier work, reinforcing institutional recognition through scheduled presentation rather than private industry promotion.

Sources

Key Facts

  • Lee Chang-Dong will receive MIFFest’s lifetime achievement award at the Malaysia International Film Festival in Kuala Lumpur.
  • The MIFFest ninth edition is scheduled for July 18 through July 25.
  • MIFFest president Joanne Goh said Lee’s work resonates across cultures and generations through honesty, compassion, and an understanding of humanity.
  • The tribute program will include screenings of “Peppermint Candy” (1998) and “Oasis” (2002).
  • The festival announcement reported that Lee is preparing a new feature backed by Netflix.
  • The Hollywood Reporter characterized Lee as a major figure across Asian cinema and noted his reputation among critics and festival audiences.
  • Variety reported MIFFest 2026 will feature 65 films from 35 countries.