The Busan International Film Festival and Netflix are set to host the third consecutive edition of Creative Asia, a workshop program for Asia’s next-generation filmmakers, in Busan this year.

The event is expanding to its largest scale to date through a new collaboration with the Asian Film Commissions Network and the Motion Picture Association, an organization representing major U.S. studios.

Creative Asia, now an official program of the festival, is an industry-support initiative through which Netflix helps emerging Asian creators develop their ideas into finished screen projects. This year’s edition will take place Oct. 10 at Dongseo University’s Centum Campus in Busan, with an expanded lineup designed to address the varied needs of newer filmmakers.

The program will feature masterclasses on cinematography, storytelling and location scouting, along with industry conversations on filmmaking across different budget levels and the growing role of artificial intelligence in the creative process. For the first time, Creative Asia will also include workshop sessions, giving aspiring filmmakers direct, hands-on guidance from Netflix content executives.

Creative Asia has partnered with the Busan festival for the past two years. Last year, it also expanded to the Jogja-NETPAC Asian Film Festival in Indonesia and other influential festivals across the Asia-Pacific region, part of Netflix’s continuing effort to support emerging filmmakers and strengthen ties with local creative communities.

A Netflix representative said Creative Asia has, over three years, become a venue where young Asian creators can gain insight directly from industry professionals, adding that this year’s expanded masterclasses, industry talks and new workshops aim to help participants build practical skills.

The 31st Busan International Film Festival will run Oct. 6-15 around the Busan Cinema Center.

This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.