At event in HK, experts highlight role of new tech in enabling Asian movies
Artificial intelligence (AI) and other technologies will play a vital role in shaping the future of the Asian film and content sectors, experts said at a forum in Hong Kong on March 18, urging industry leaders to embrace change to stay on top of their game.
In his welcome remarks at the working group meeting of the Asia Content Business Summit (ACBS), Wilfred Wong Ying-wai, chairman of the Hong Kong Film Development Council, said that AI is going to “speed up development” and “unite Asia” across multiple languages as content becomes accessible to a broader audience.
Wong noted that in the past, content had to be dubbed, but now with the help of AI, subtitles have been made easily accessible on-demand.
“Second, we have to look at how to distribute. The movie business is a streaming platform. (We) have to be one step ahead,” said Wong, as he also encouraged industry leaders to share their knowledge and “pass the sword to the next generation”.
Fred Wang Cheung-yue, chairman of Hong Kong-based pan-Asia movie services group Salon Films, encouraged attendees to “take new ideas” from the ACBS event on the use of technology and AI in movie production, while speakers from Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines also gave presentations on trends and initiatives in their respective countries.
Dato Kamil Othman, chairman of the National Film Development Corporation Malaysia, said his organization had prioritized the training of film producers, with special attention paid to understanding legal issues such as copyright.
Malaysia has no problems with sending films overseas, he said, adding that a new generation of successful movie professionals are emerging. He urged the audience to “not be afraid of AI” as it is “but a tool”.
In Japan, digitalization had changed the content industry completely, according to Norihiko Saeki, director of the culture and creation industries division under Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.
He said Japanese overseas content sales are set to achieve a market size of 20 trillion yen ($134 billion) by 2033, under the “New Cool Japan Strategy” adopted in 2024.
Saeki also said they have a “Shooting with Japan Program” agreement with China and Italy, which gives an incentive grant of 1 billion yen.
Novie Riyadi, chief operating officer at Indonesian animation and post-production company Mocca Studio, said Indonesia’s game industry has grown rapidly, driven by government support that helped firms there become “early adopters of AI”.
He said there were 156 animation companies in Indonesia in 2020, and that he believes the number may have tripled by now.
In the Philippines, Liza Dino-Seguerra, executive director of the Quezon City Film Commission, said over 120 Filipino films were produced and released in 2023 — a notable rebound following the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Streaming has become the dominant force shaping how content is produced, distributed and consumed,” said Dino-Seguerra, who is also former chairperson of the Film Development Council of the Philippines.
Sirisak Koshpasharin, vice chairman of Thailand’s National Federation of Motion Pictures and Contents Associations, said content streaming in Thailand is also a growing market.
He put the spotlight on “movie tourism” as many films have been shot in Thailand, bringing with them tourists. Japan topped the list of countries where film producers came from to shoot in Thailand, he said, followed by India, the United States, the Republic of Korea and China.
Upgraded government film incentives introduced in December last year, increasing a cash rebate on movie production from 20 percent to 30 percent, had also encouraged the industry, he added.
“All the big players in the market come to Thailand, but the best spender is Hong Kong,” said Koshpasharin. Last year alone, 490 projects were shot in Thailand, generating 6.5 billion baht ($194 million). Two of the most notable movies filmed there include Jurassic World 4 and Alien: Earth.
Fred Chong, group CEO of WebTVAsia and award-winning Malaysian musician, said AI “has a face now”, and is capable of taking on real celebrities. The digital human market, he said, is expected to reach $440 billion by 2031.
Luna Jin Jiayue in Hong Kong contributed to this report.
