Back to All News
Supporting APAC Creators: Netflix Hosts Next-Gen Filmmakers for Creative Asia Forum at BIFF 2024
Entertainment
08 October 2024
GlobalSouth Korea
Link copied to clipboard
The first Creative Asia Forum took place during the 2024 Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) this week, with over 130 up-and-coming filmmakers from across Asia in attendance. The event connected the festival's rising talent with APAC's creative leaders, featuring masterclass conversations with top creators and workshops with Netflix's content and production teams.
The Forum marked the first partnership between Netflix and BIFF, with Chief Programmer Nam Dong-chul opening the event, saying I hope that we get to hear voices that weve never heard before, hear stories that have never been told before, and pave the way for new films and stories to find their voice. I truly hope that forums like this will continue to prosper, so that it will serve as a great opportunity for us to discover new talent and new voices and new storytellers.
Minyoung Kim, Netflix's VP of Content for APAC (ex-India), gave a keynote address celebrating the creative potential across Asia Pacific. When we collaborate as an overall region, I believe that APAC as a content hub has potential comparable to Hollywood. Talent from different countries can come together and create their own unique take on a story. At Netflix, we already have existing teams and infrastructure in all of these different markets. So, whether its above the line or below the line, we believe that we can bring together the strengths of different countries so that greater creative visions can come to life, and we can tell great stories.
Kim noted that Korean and Japanese language titles are in the Top 3 most viewed non-English content on Netflix globally. With Netflix bringing local stories to 280 million people around the world, the way stories are told has completely changed. However, that's not to say that we set out to make global hits. Because when you try to make a show for everyone, you end up making a show for no one. At Netflix, we focus on finding local authenticity that has the potential to travel globally. We truly believe that it is this local authenticity that allows us to find great content.
The event featured masterclass conversations with established creators from across Asia Pacific. Acclaimed Japanese director Hiroshi Kurosaki discussed how real experiences inspired the upcoming series Beyond Goodbye. We wanted to create a world thats five centimeters above reality. But even though the story is a little lifted from reality, its set in the real world. And so when we were putting together the art and sets, we wanted to invest a lot of resources and time in preparing this production. Netflix allowed that. And so for me, and all the team staff, we were very, very appreciative of Netflix.
The creators behind forthcoming Chinese-language series Born For The Spotlight, which had its world premiere at BIFF this week, discussed how great storytelling transcends language. Producer Olive Ting noted: To be invited to Busan to premiere, we were a bit worried whether the international viewers would understand the local context of the series. But surprisingly, people from United States or viewers from Korea have given us positive feedback. They can relate to these characters as a mother, as a daughter. And they are crying or laughing with certain scenes in the story. So I think humanity can cross cultural and language barriers.
The series' director Yi-Wen Yen remarked how roles for women in Asian storytelling were evolving, recalling: When I was an actress, there was not a streaming platform like Netflix in Taiwan, and many of our stories at that time focused on the male lead. As a female actress, I was mostly functional or decorative. I started to play a mom since I was 20 years old - so I have a lot of children in show business over the years! But I find it quite interesting that in recent years, after Netflix and other streaming services joined the market, we are seeing some changes in the local industries. In the past, actresses did not have many options. But now it seems that we have more genres, more characters, and more options. Even if Im going to play a mom now, the performance and delivery will be different. Im very happy to see these changes in Taiwan. We can tell the stories I really want to tell.
Indonesian creators Kamila Andini and Ifa Isfansyah, who won Best Directors at the Asian Content Awards during BIFF this week for Cigarette Girl, discussed the themes that global audiences resonated with in their hit show. This story is all about female strength. In a time where female projects and dreams don't have that much room and opportunity, we make a stage and spotlight for that strength and those voices that needed to be acknowledged. And this is the time for that. This is a time to acknowledge many things that have been untold and forgotten. Now its possible, and we have to celebrate that possibility, said Andini.
The event also featured a production workshop to inspire young filmmakers on how to bring their ideas to life using a mix of creativity, collaboration, and simple, accessible technology, led by Netflix's Head of APAC Production, Sung Q Lee and Head of Korean Production, Jungsu Ha.
Netflix's content leaders from across Asia Pacific took to the stage for an open Q&A with the emerging creators in the audience, with Don Kang (VP of Content, Korea), Kaata Sakamoto (VP of Content, Japan), Maya Huang (Head of Chinese Language Content), Malobika Banerji (Head of Southeast Asia Content) and Minyoung Kim fielding questions on working with Netflix, creating authentic stories, casting, local production, and reaching global audiences.
The Creative Asia Forum is part of Netflix's g
Most recent headlines
11/12/2025
Dalet, a leading provider of cloud-native, end-to-end media workflow solutions, ...
08/12/2025
Eurovision winner Niamh Kavanagh is the first celebrity to be revealed for the s...
08/12/2025
Changing children's lives for good: A staggering 4.6 million raised in the 2025 appeal
The people of Ireland and people all over the world have once again...
08/12/2025
It's murder on the dancefloor as The Traitors Ireland legend Paudie Moloney ...
06/12/2025
In a live broadcast from the Reagan National Defense Forum, L3Harris Chair and CEO Christopher Kubasik joined Morgan Brennan on CNBCs Closing Bell: Overtime. Ku...
06/12/2025
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. A new survey from Pixitmedia by Datacore revealed a major shift in the Media & Entertainment industry in media archiving, with 85% of resp...
06/12/2025
HACKENSACK, N.J. LiveU has announced that the national public broadcaster Czech Television has completed one of the largest LiveU live production deployments fo...
06/12/2025
NEW YORK The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) presented the Excellence in Production Technology Emmy Award to NASA+ and Dr. Tom Leight...
05/12/2025
2025 Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame: Curt Gowdy Jr. - Master Storyteller, Nati...
05/12/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Veritone's Sean King on the Power of Mining Video, Audio DataThe company's Data Refinery offers users total control and governance over da...
05/12/2025
Platinum White Paper: Inside the Nashville Predators' Unified, Flexible, Sca...
05/12/2025
Netflix Reaches Agreement To Acquire Warner Bros. Following Planned WBD SplitThe deal does not include WBDs sports assets like TNT Sports (US, UK, LatAm), Euros...
05/12/2025
FOX Sports Returns to Indianapolis for Primetime Broadcast of Big Ten Championsh...
05/12/2025
SVG Summit 2025 Preview: Digital Engagement & Monetization Workshop Tackles the ...
05/12/2025
Atlanta United Lights Up New Emory Healthcare Studio With First Live Broadcast f...
05/12/2025
As Messi Takes the Pitch, MLS, Apple, NEP Roll Out Largest MLS Cup Production Ev...
05/12/2025
ESPN Enters College Football's Most Intense Month With Elevated Workflows fo...
05/12/2025
It's about that time! Awards season is in full swing, and the Film Independe...
05/12/2025
Every year, Spotify Wrapped offers a personalized look back at the audio that defined your year. It's a snapshot of your listening habits, designed to tell ...
05/12/2025
In 2025, Spotify's EQUAL, GLOW, and RADAR programs celebrated women, LGBTQIA , and emerging artists who turned moments into milestones. From breaking record...
05/12/2025
In our latest blog, we explain how Wi-Fi 7 rollouts can drive consumer loyalty with value-add services such as consumer cybersecurity. We also explore how this ...
05/12/2025
LOS ANGELES Netflix announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire the assets of Warner Bros. for $82.7 billion....
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Nielsens Gracenote has launched Gracenote Content Connect, a new ad platform that provides agencies, brands, supply-side platforms (SSPs) and demand-si...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK In an most important update to the workings of deal-based programmatic advertising, IAB Tech Lab has released version 1.0 of its Deals API for public c...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Pass the turkey. Pass the stuffing. Pass the cranberry sauce. All are common requests of Americans celebrating Thanksgiving Day with family and f...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Iris, the new cloud-connected camera control platform, has officially launched with features that turn virtually any PTZ camera into a software-connect...
05/12/2025
HOLLYWOOD, Calif. Netflix announced today that it has entered into an agreement to acquire the assets of Warner Bros. for $82.7 billion....
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Iris, the new cloud-connected camera control platform, has officially launched with features that turn virtually any PTZ camera into a software-connect...
05/12/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission has approved AT&T's $1.02 billion acquisition of spectrum from UScellular in a decision that was issued sho...
05/12/2025
The Best Coldplay Songs: 21 Tracks That Shoot for the Stars From Yellow to Viva La Vida, Fix You to Paradise, this playlist goes back to the start.
December ...
05/12/2025
Zafris Lecture Series Brings Nabil Ayers to Berklee The 32nd annual James G. Zafris Distinguished Lecture series was held on Thursday, November 13, with guest...
05/12/2025
Back to All News
Netflix Unveils the First Look for Land of Sin' - Premier...
05/12/2025
Introducing New Perks to Help You Get Even More from LinkedIn Premium Published on Dec 5, 2025 Categories: Company News, Product News
LinkedIn Corporate Co...
05/12/2025
Friday 5 December 2025
A new Game of Thrones Tale: Official trailer for Sky Exc...
05/12/2025
Back to All News
Don Lee, Lee Jin-uk, and Lalisa Manobal to Star in Netflix Act...
05/12/2025
Tis the season of giving once again and this year we've taken our Give Back Fridays' concept and turned it on its head.
In the autumn we were approach...
05/12/2025
Brayden Gogis doesn't remember a time when he wasn't completely fixated on games in all forms. In preschool, when they asked us to dress up as what we ...
05/12/2025
The Grinch steals the spotlight as the theme for The Late Late Toy Show 2025
Tune in tonight at 9:35pm on RT One and worldwide on RT Player
#LateLateToyShow...
05/12/2025
RT Announces New Presenters of Flagship News Programmes
New RT Six One News co-presenter Tommy Meskill
Sarah McInerney & Justin McCarthy join Morning Ir...
04/12/2025
ToolsOnAir Blackmagic Design HyperDeck Event Presets for just:in mac pro 2025 & ...
04/12/2025
ToolsOnAir AJA Ki Pro Event Presets for just:in mac pro 2025 & just:in linux
More Details:Starting with version 5.5, both just:in mac pro and just:in linux sol...
04/12/2025
Wangu Kanuri from Kenya and Godwin Asediba from Ghana are two of this years finalists for Thomsons Young Journalist of the Year Award. The pair are runners-up i...
04/12/2025
SVG Sit-Down: ProximaVision's Claudio Lisman on Why Tethered Drones Could Be...
04/12/2025
SVG Campus Shot Callers: Imry Halevi, Senior Associate Director of Athletics, Co...
04/12/2025
Platinum White Paper: LiveU Lightweight Sports Production: A Step Change in Spor...
04/12/2025
London to Riyadh: DAZN brings the boxing glamour to new production levels for Be...
04/12/2025
Analysis: Paramount bets on the battering ram' with Champions League play By Callum McCarthy, Editor-at-Large
Tuesday, December 2, 2025 - 10:12
Print ...
04/12/2025
Space City Home Network Launches SCHN DTC App for Astros and RocketsThe Rockets and Astros were previously the lone NBA and MLB teams without a DTC appBy Jason...
04/12/2025
SVG Summit 2025 Preview: Content Workflows Workshop Spotlights Evolution of Spor...
Back to All News
