Entertainment
10 October 2026
Link copied to clipboardHow does an unexpected idea resonate with global audiences? How much work goes into making a film look truly natural? And how is AI shifting what’s possible in film production?
More than 400 emerging filmmakers came to Busan to answer these questions (and more) at the third Creative Asia, presented by Netflix in partnership with the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF). They spent the day hearing from creators like cinematographer Kim Ji-yong on crafting the look of Possible Love, director Kang Yun-sung on telling the stories of tomorrow with AI, and director Han Jun-hee on turning niche subjects into globally resonant series.
Nurturing Asian Creativity, On and Off Screen
BIFF Deputy Director Karen Park opened with a message for every creator in the room: their uniqueness is their advantage. “In the old model, ‘going global’ meant diluting a story to make it as broad and safe as possible. But Netflix completely flipped that playbook. You proved that the more local, authentic, and specific a story is, the more universally it resonates.”
Minyoung Kim, VP of Content, APAC (ex-India) at Netflix, shone a light on the local impact of those stories: “Our ambition is that every Netflix production creates something audiences love, and leaves the people and the industry behind it stronger for the next one.”
Over the past decade, Netflix’s skills and talent development initiatives have reached more than 18,000 people across APAC. Netflix has also worked with more than 350 production companies in the region, and its productions have filmed in more than 650 cities and towns. “We often talk about a film through its filmmaker or its cast. But every scene depends on the judgment and craft of hundreds of others,” Kim said. “Their experience shapes what is possible on screen. Their growth shapes what an industry can do next.”
Masterclasses: How the Work Really Gets Made
Cinematographer Kim Ji-yong took audiences behind the award-winning film Possible Love and his work with director Lee Chang-dong. The goal was a film that looks as if it’s seen with the naked eye, which Kim admitted is an irony, since it takes enormous effort to look effortless. Walking through key excerpts from the film, he explained the choices behind them — relying on natural light, mostly using a single camera, and even designing the film’s summer house around the sunlight. “On set, it may look like we’re just filming without any fabrication, but to be honest, in order to look natural, I don’t think I have ever planned this much before.” The Q&A that followed turned technical fast, with budding creators keen to bring his approach to their own sets.
Director Han Jun-hee, in a fireside chat with Netflix’s Kijae Kim, explained how he turns subjects others might pass over into stories people connect with. Many assumed D.P., a military drama, would only speak to men, and Weak Hero Class was the kind of school-bullying story usually given a small budget. “Only if you take risks can you tell an interesting story. Trying to play it safe all the time, especially in Korea, is a risk in itself.” For Han, the point is what you want to say with it. He also explained why he backs first-time directors, as he did on Weak Hero Class: “Debuting as a director is becoming more and more challenging. But if I can help new talents on the side, I thought I could help them make something great.”
AFCNet hosted a locations masterclass, exploring how setting can serve as a storyteller. Reiko Kunieda (co-producer, Perfect Days) described how director Wim Wenders found the film’s locations by imagining its protagonist’s everyday life. “When you define a location, you don’t have to follow a conventional way,” she said. “Maybe it comes to you and speaks to you.” For Netflix’s Sung Q Lee (Senior Director, APAC Production), a good location “doesn’t have to be a beautiful or well-known place”; it’s one where the audience feels the story “simply could not have taken place anywhere else.” Lauren Cooper (Location Managers Guild International) put it simply: “Your inspiration has to come from more than watching films. It has to come from life: you have to read, you have to explore art. The key to locations is human connection.”
Industry Panels: The Conversations Filmmakers Need to Have
In the AI panel, co-hosted with the Motion Pictures Association, film critic Youn Sung-eun opened key question: How does AI fit into filmmaking? Director Kang Yun-sung said that on Run to the West, AI let his team revive ideas shelved for budget reasons: “What had been buried due to budgetary issues could be put back on the table.” On his later project The Gulf of Aden, he said AI cut overall costs by 30-40%, not because VFX was replaced, but because shooting was streamlined and the production period shortened.
Kimball Thurston (CTO, Wētā FX) said one of the biggest gains is time. By taking on repetitive work, AI frees artists to iterate more, and “the more iterations we do, the more refined and better the results.” But both he and Kang drew the same line when it came to emotion. “Would it be able to best convey the emotions to the audience? I don’t think so,” Kang said. Thurston agreed: “Does it touch the human emotion? No, I think the human touch is critical and necessary.” In the end, Sung Q Lee put it best: “When we talk about human-centric, it's not about substituting creativity, but ultimately it's about supporting the creative.”
BIFF programmer Jeong Jihye led a conversation on the continued importance of small- and mid-budget films in Korea, with director Namkoong Sun (Love Untangled, Time to be Strong) alongside Wi Eun-kyoung and Son Gwang-min, co-directors of My Aunt. Namkoong named the challenge that emerging filmmakers usually face: limited distribution. But services like Netflix can open new doors for smaller films, describing her experience on Love Untangled as a true partnership. “With the Netflix release, audiences from all over the world were talking about it online at the same time. That felt like a festival of its own.” Son added that Netflix gave My Aunt a life beyond the festival circuit, where short films rarely find audiences again.
Workshops: A Seat on the Other Side of the Table
For the first time, Creative Asia moved some of its learning into the classroom. In smaller groups, emerging filmmakers got time with Netflix content leads Keo Lee (Director, Creative Strategy at Netflix) and Christopher Mack (Director, Content Acquisition at Netflix). The sessions covered how buyers make greenlight decisions and what keeps a pilot compelling.
Later in the day, a closed-door Creative Economy Exchange brought NFCE alumni from seven markets together with policymakers from across the region to discuss what helps creative industries grow, from talent and skills to local production, jobs and screen tourism.
From Busan to Yogyakarta, Creative Asia continues to bring the region’s next generation of storytellers together with the people who can help their ideas reach the screen. In her address, Minyoung Kim recognized the importance of gathering this next generation of creatives and production professionals from across Asia.
“The person sitting beside you may become a future collaborator. Something you learn today may influence a decision on your next production. And one day, you may return to Creative Asia to share what you have learned with the generation following you.”