Asian films scaling up content building with AI assistance

Norihiko Saeki, director of the culture and creation industries division under Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, introduces trends of content industries of Japan to the audience at the ACBS meeting on Tuesday. [Photo/China Daily]

He 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 expects the number to have tripled by now. Among these companies' successes has been the animated children's show Baby Zu, he added, which was created to help parents with children who were slow learning to speak.

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.

She said international collaborations are also on the rise because of producers' constant participation in international events and markets, allowing Filipino stories to reach a global audience. Her organization is looking to partner with companies in the Middle East and North Africa region, and Latin America, she added.

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 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.