July 8, 2025
Buchon – The 29th Boocheon International Fantastic Film Festival featured the script generated by AI trained in Werner Herzog's full filming as the opening film “Hero About a Hero,” a “Hybrid Documentary by Piotr Winiewicz,” which opened Thursday.
The festival's commitment to exploring artificial intelligence runs deep, with 11 AI films within the 217 title programmes and a three-day meeting dedicated to examining how technology is reshaping the film's creation process.
Sunday marked the opening day of the festival's AI conference at the Buhong Art Center, bringing together industry pioneers, engineers and policymakers to explore the practical applications and future implications of AI-driven production. The session revealed both the rapid development of technology and the mixed reactions of the film industry to its integration.
Sunday's meeting began with a presentation from a major Korean producer of AI technology. Roy Oh, who runs the YouTube channel Oddy Studio, premiered his short film, “Color My Garden.”
Created using tools such as Midjourney and Runway, the film showed the creator's distinctive style, blending classic art with modern settings. The film sometimes shows the occasional awkwardness of the creepy, smooth, refined content – repetitive compositions, sudden cuts between scenes – and the moments of visual innovation were obvious, especially in the sequences showing flowers blooming from Kahlo's body.
“It's not just what AI creates, but how to tell stories to AI,” explains the weekly production process, including “writing real-time” AI collaborations.
Following Lee Sang-Wook from MBC C&I Content Lab, it showed that AI has integrated into traditional television production, showing that by combining AI-generated visuals with live actors, the team has strengthened the space scene with television shows. Viewers who watched the show were proactive in responding to the hybrid approach.
“We can now visualize millions of expensive concepts starting at the prompt,” Lee said. Released in 2024, his lab hosted training workshops for aspiring creators and produced several award-winning AI films, including Mateo, which won the grand prize at Korea's first AI International Film Festival.
The afternoon panel discussion, originally intended to focus on AI, was quickly pivoted to widespread industry concerns about reduced attendance at Korean theatres and competition from streaming platforms. The conversation featuring festival director Sintur and producer Lee Dong-Ha, president and producer of France's National Cinema Centre, is centered around potential lessons from the struggles of South Korea's film industry and French conservation measures.
Bruel outlined the comprehensive support system of the French government. This includes a mandatory “holdback” period where you will be booked for a four-month theatrical release before streaming is possible. In Korea, films often appear on the platform within weeks of the theatrical release.
“In France, we had 181 million tickets sold last year, a mere 10% drop from pre-pandemic levels,” Bruell noted, comparing it to a nearly 50% decline in South Korea. He emphasized that in France, people with the most streaming subscriptions are often the most avid movie fans.
The French model requires streaming platforms to reinvest a portion of their revenues into local content. This is a system that produced 900 million euros in 180 projects by 140 independent production companies.
When asked about the future impact of AI films, Bruell expressed measured skepticism.
“Movies are about emotions, the infinite complexity of dialogue,” he said. “AI brings new possibilities, but I have many more reasons to worry than eager. The risk is to reduce the degree of creativity.”
The most practical analysis of the day came from Sten-Kristian Saluveer, CEO of StoryTek and strategic advisor at Cannes Next. His presentation shows how major festivals beyond Bifan adapt, with Rotterdam and Tribeca currently embracing AI films at their official competitions.
Saluveer highlighted the evolution from “AI Artist” to “AI Studio Directors.” This is a creative that combines traditional filmmaking knowledge with technical expertise. Major studios are currently using AI before visualisation. One TV series generates 24 VFX shots in a day and is required using traditional methods.
“We're looking at technology-supported Ai-Enhanced workflows rather than replacing traditional filmmaking,” Saluveer explained. Applications go beyond visual effects to budgeting, script development and regulatory compliance. What he called the comprehensive “optimization paradigm.”
Genre filmmaking will particularly benefit from this trend. Tools such as VEO help independent horror directors create proof of concept materials that require studio lining.
Going forward, Saluveer predicted the rise of AI transparent filmmaking within a few years. This technology has become ubiquitous and everyday, just like digital cameras.
“Instead of narrowly thinking about AI generating visual content, it is becoming a huge optimizer,” he said, emphasizing that success requires investment in talent development rather than acquiring tools. “A great filmmaker with AI makes great AI movies. Killound Filmmakers ultimately make bad movies.”
