FilMart Panel: AI Supports, Doesn't Replace, Content
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- Hong Kong FilMart hosted a Forum on International Communication Cooperation and Innovation for a New Vision on the market's opening day, organized by China's National Radio and Television Administration and co-hosted by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council.
- Karen Fu, CEO of Huace Group, said Hollywood continues to prioritize a content-driven model while Asian creators may benefit from combining Eastern and Western storytelling approaches for global strategies.
- Lina Zhang, chief editor at Youku, said AI is currently most effective at optimizing production workflows and technical processes, and that 'content remains the primary driver' of audience connection.
- Cedric Behrel, director and co-founder of Trinity CineAsia — the leading European distributor of Asian cinema — said post-pandemic audience behavior has shifted, with screen consumption extending to gaming and social platforms.
- The 'Dual-Track Breakthroughs in Content' session, with speakers from TVB, Youku, Trinity CineAsia and others, framed a shift from traditional cultural export toward integrated global content ecosystems tied to scale, reach, and platform traffic.
- Panelists stressed that successful cross-cultural storytelling depends on identifying shared human experiences while navigating cultural context differences.
Why it matters: The speakers — including the CEOs and chief editors of Huace, Youku, and Trinity CineAsia — converged on a message that undercuts the AI-led framing in the headline: AI accelerates workflows, but content is still the lever for international growth. For Asian streamers eyeing global distribution, the bottleneck is narrative craft and co-production, not technology adoption.
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