Netflix's Creative Asia Returns to BIFF for Third Year — SkimNews
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- Creative Asia returns to BIFF for a third consecutive year on Oct. 10 at Dongseo University's Centum Campus, with the lineup shaped by BIFF, the Asian Film Commissions Network, and the Motion Picture Association.
- Netflix adds workshops to Creative Asia for the first time, with director of content acquisition Christopher Mack leading "The Art and Archetypes of Cinematic Storytelling" and director of creative strategy Keo Lee running "Understanding the Buyer's Perspective" on how projects get greenlit.
- Netflix and the MPA co-host an "AI in Filmmaking: New Tools, New Possibilities" panel moderated by critic Youn Sung-eun, featuring Netflix APAC production senior director Sung Q Lee, Weta FX CTO Kimball Thurston, and director Kang Yun-sung.
- Cinematographer Kim Ji-yong delivers a masterclass on Venice winner "Possible Love," walking through his collaboration with director Lee Chang-dong, including the decision to trade artificial lighting setups for natural light.
- Han Jun-hee — director of "D.P. 1 & 2," "Weak Hero Class 1 & 2" and "The Blue Road" — leads a session on shaping unexpected material into resonant stories, while the slate opens with "Location and Storytelling" featuring the Location Managers Guild International's Lauren Cooper and "Perfect Days" producer Reiko Kunieda.
- The event extends Netflix's regional push, building on two prior BIFF editions and a stop at Indonesia's JAFF Market last year.
Why it matters: Creative Asia is Netflix's flagship pipeline for cultivating Asian storytelling talent, and the third edition doubles down with first-ever workshops that give writers direct executive access — narrowing the gap between regional creators and Netflix's greenlight process. Pairing that with a co-hosted AI panel alongside the MPA signals Netflix is positioning itself as both talent scout and industry convener in APAC, while the venue partnerships with BIFF, AFCNet, and JAFF Market show a multi-market play rather than a single-festival activation.
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