Weta FX to Discuss AI Filmmaking as Netflix Creative Asia Returns to Busan
Peter Jackson’s Weta FX will be part of a major conversation about artificial intelligence and filmmaking when Netflix’s Creative Asia returns to Busan in October.
Netflix and the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) are bringing back Creative Asia for a third consecutive year. The program is scheduled for Oct. 10 at Dongseo University’s Centum Campus.
BIFF, the Asian Film Commissions Network (AFCNet) and the Motion Picture Association (MPA) helped shape this year’s lineup, which combines industry panels, masterclasses and workshops for emerging filmmakers.
Weta FX Joins Netflix AI Filmmaking Panel
One of the event’s headline sessions will examine how artificial intelligence is being adopted across the Asia-Pacific filmmaking industry.
Titled “AI in Filmmaking: New Tools, New Possibilities,” the panel is co-hosted by Netflix and the MPA and will be moderated by film critic Youn Sung-eun.
The speakers include Sung Q Lee, Netflix’s senior director of APAC production; Kimball Thurston, chief technology officer at Weta FX; and director Kang Yun-sung, known for “Run to the West” and “The Outlaws.”
Weta FX is the visual effects studio co-founded by filmmaker Peter Jackson, making Thurston’s participation a notable addition to the discussion as filmmakers and studios continue to examine the role of AI in production.
The panel will focus on the new tools and possibilities emerging from AI and how the technology is being used within filmmaking across the APAC region.
Netflix Expands Creative Asia With New Workshops
Creative Asia is Netflix’s flagship initiative for helping emerging Asian creators develop ideas for the screen.
This year’s edition will introduce workshops for the first time, giving aspiring writers direct access to Netflix content executives.
Christopher Mack, Netflix’s director of content acquisition, will lead “The Art and Archetypes of Cinematic Storytelling.”
Keo Lee, Netflix’s director of creative strategy, will lead “Understanding the Buyer’s Perspective.” The session will explore how projects are evaluated, greenlit and financed.
The additions give participants a closer look at both the creative and business sides of developing projects for a major streaming platform.
‘Possible Love’ Gets a Cinematography Masterclass
The program will also spotlight Lee Chang-dong’s “Possible Love,” which won at Venice and is screening at the Busan International Film Festival.
Cinematographer Kim Ji-yong will lead a masterclass examining how the film’s visual world was created in collaboration with Lee Chang-dong.
The session will explore decisions behind the film’s cinematography, including the choice to move away from artificial lighting setups in favor of natural light.
Scenes from “Possible Love” will be used during the masterclass to demonstrate how those choices shaped the film’s visual approach.
More Industry Sessions Planned
Creative Asia’s masterclass slate will open with “Location and Storytelling,” moderated by Busan Asian Film School professor James Bang.
The session will feature Lauren Cooper of the Location Managers Guild International, “Perfect Days” producer Reiko Kunieda and Netflix’s Sung Q Lee.
Director Han Jun-hee, known for “D.P. 1 & 2,” “Weak Hero Class 1 & 2” and “The Blue Road,” will also participate in a session focused on turning unexpected material into resonant stories.
Another industry panel, “New Voices in Filmmaking: What’s Ahead,” will be moderated by BIFF programmer Jeong Jihye.
The panel will feature Namkoong Sun, director of “Love Untangled” and “Time to Be Strong,” alongside Wi Eun-kyoung and Son Gwang-min, co-directors of “My Aunt.”
Their short film won the Grand Prize at Korea’s 2026 Mise-en-scène Short Film Festival.
An invite-only Creative Economy Exchange will also take place as part of the program.
Creative Asia Builds on Previous Editions
The Busan program marks the third consecutive Creative Asia edition and continues Netflix’s effort to build relationships with filmmakers and creative communities across Asia.
The initiative follows two previous editions with BIFF, as well as last year’s stop in Indonesia at the JAFF Market.
With AI filmmaking, storytelling, cinematography and project financing all represented in the 2026 program, Creative Asia is expanding beyond a traditional industry panel format.
The Oct. 10 event at Dongseo University’s Centum Campus will bring emerging creators together with Netflix executives, filmmakers and other film-industry professionals for discussions about how projects are developed and how filmmaking itself is changing.
