Section A Exploring Solidarity in Asian Cinema
This section focuses on two key topics: international co-production and OTT. The session ‘Asian Cinema: A New Chapter in CoProductions’, explores recent aesthetic innovations and business strategies emerging from international collaborations. Another core session, ‘Is OTT Empowering or Undermining Asian Cinema’ brings together Asian film industry professionals and policymakers to examine how OTT platforms are reshaping film development and industry systems across the region.
- · Session 1 Asian Cinema: A New Chapter in Co-Productions
- · Session 2 Is OTT Empowering or Undermining Asian Cinema
Section B Save the Korean Cinema!
To envision the future of Korean cinema, this section revisits both its origins and current state through two sessions. The first, ‘Flashback to 1996: Gains and Losses of Korean Cinema’, examines the structural crises and aesthetic limitations that have emerged behind three decades of rapid industry growth. The year 1996, marked by the launch of the Busan International Film Festival, represented Korean cinema’s symbolic first step toward becoming a central force in Asian cinema. This session traces the trajectory from the boom years that followed to today’s discourse on crisis, while considering the conditions needed to nurture the next generation of filmmakers.
The second session, 'What Does Korean Independent Cinema Dream Of' explores the achievements and survival strategies of Korean independent cinema, as well as alternatives for building a sustainable production environment. Directors and producers who have long sustained the independent film ecosystem will share their experiences and perspectives firsthand.
- · Session 1 Flashback to 1996: Gains and Losses of Korean Cinema
- · Session 2 What Does Korean Independent Cinema Dream Of
Section C The Future of Cinema: Tech Innovation and Film Education
Co-hosted by the Busan International Film Festival, Dongseo University, the Korean Film Archive (KOFA), and School of Film, TV & Multimedia at Korea National University of Arts, this section examines the evolution of film technology and the future of Asian film education.
The session 'Envisioning the Global Future of Visual Culture from Local Contexts', co-organized with Dongseo University, explores the significance of regionally rooted visual culture in the digital media era and its impact on the global stage, spanning diverse fields such as animation, film, and design.
In collaboration with the Korean Film Archive, ‘Re: Booting Korean Cinema’ reviews the present and future of classic film remastering and sound restoration, as well as the use and management of essential asset data in contemporary visual effects production. Drawing on case studies from producers, directors, and VFX supervisors, the session examines how technological advances are influencing the filmmaking process.
The session ‘Exploring the Present and Future of Film and Media Education in Asia’, organized with the School of Film, TV & Multimedia at Korea National University of Arts, reflects on collaborative initiatives among educational institutions in Korea and across Asia. It identifies the challenges facing evolving film and media education and explores the educational shifts needed for the future.
- · Session 1 Re: Booting Korean Cinema *Co-Host: Korean Film Archive
- · Session 2 Envisioning the Global Future of Visual Culture from Local Contexts *Co-Host: Dongseo University
- · Session 3 Exploring the Present and Future of Film and Media Education in Asia *Co-Host: School of Film, TV & Multimedia at Korea National University of Arts
Section D Mapping the Future of Korean Cinema
Korean cinema is confronting a structural crisis across the industry. As “solidarity” re-emerges as a potential solution, two sessions—organized respectively by the Korean Filmmakers’ Solidarity (KOFISO) and the Film Festival Policy Network—focus on the possibility of fundamental change grounded in voluntary collaboration within the film community. These sessions bring together filmmakers to diagnose the causes of the crisis and to outline practical strategies and a roadmap for a collective response. By reexamining the path toward mutual growth, they aim to provide a meaningful starting point for restructuring Korean cinema in the post-crisis era.
- · Session 1 Policy Shifts for the Future of the Film Festival Ecosystem *Host: Film Festival Policy Network
- · Session 2 Endangered K-Movie: We Will Find a Way. We Always Have *Host: Korean Filmmakers’ Solidarity (KOFISO)