SFM hosts AI Filmmaking Week
25 February 2026HKU Cordially Invites Industry Leaders and Global Experts to Explore the Frontiers and Ecosystem of AI Film Technology
17-20 March, 2026
School of Future Media, The University of Hong Kong
(Hong Kong, 6 March 2026) The University of Hong Kong will present AI & Filmmaking Week 2026, a four-day international programme bringing together pioneering filmmakers, technologists, and global industry leaders to explore how artificial intelligence is transforming cinema, from storytelling and acting, to production, ethics, and governance.
Featuring the first South Korean AI feature film, leading AI artists, and the former President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the week positions HKU as a hub for forward-thinking dialogue about cinema and emerging technologies.
Media Enquiries
Tel: (852) 3917 1155, Email: coms.hkums@hku.hk
17 March (Tuesday)
RUN TO THE WEST
Screening of South Korea’s First AI Film
Venue: Studio 303, Chong Yuet Ming Cultural Centre, The University of Hong Kong
Screening: 6:00PM – 7:15PM
Conversation: 7:15PM – 8:30PM
AI & Filmmaking Week opens with a landmark screening of RUN TO THE WEST, the first AI feature film from South Korea.
The screening will be followed by an in-depth conversation with directors Yunsung Kang and Hansl Kwon, who will discuss the creative, technical, and ethical challenges of producing a feature-length AI film.
This opening event highlights how AI tools are reshaping authorship, collaboration, and cinematic language in Asia and beyond.
Meet AI film pioneers at the forefront of global cinema
Venue: Moonlight Theatre, HK Filmart, Hall 1C, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Wan Chai
Time: 11:30AM – 1:00PM
Titled “Meet AI film pioneers at the forefront of global cinema”, this session convenes leading innovators to examine how AI is redefining creativity, authorship, and production pipelines worldwide.
Speakers include:
- Jie Yang, Co-founder and CTO, Utopai Studios, an AI-native film and TV production company headquartered in California, USA
- Yunsung Kang, Renowned Film and TV director, S. Korea
- Hansl Kwon, CEO/Director of Studio Freewillusion Inc., a Seoul-based AI media technology startup
- Ruby Yang, Oscar-winning filmmaker and director of HKU School of Future Media
- Ulrich Gaulke, award winning filmmaker and AI artist
Acting and storytelling with AI characters
Talk & Workshop
Venue: G24, Eliot Hall, The University of Hong Kong
Time: 10:00AM – 1:30PM
This intensive session focuses on one of the most urgent questions in AI cinema:
How can filmmakers create meaningful dialogue scenes and emotionally resonant performances using AI characters?
Led by Jie Yang, Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Utopai Studios (USA), alongside AI artists Qing Zhang and Yangen Shi, the workshop combines conceptual frameworks with live demonstrations.
Participants will explore:
- Directing AI-generated actors
- Crafting believable dialogue
- Emotional realism in synthetic performance
- Technical workflows for professional-grade AI scenes
20 March (Friday)
A Hollywood Perspective: AI & the future of filmmaking
Production Meets Emerging AI Governance
Venue: Studio 303, Chong Yuet Ming Cultural Centre, The University of Hong Kong
Time: 12:00PM – 1:30PM
The week concludes with a high-level forum examining the intersection of film production, industry transformation, and AI governance.
Professor Ruby Yang
Janet Yang
Janet Yang, President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (2022–2025)
In dialogue with Ruby Yang, the conversation will address:
- AI’s impact on Hollywood production models
- Creative rights and labor concerns
- Emerging global AI governance frameworks
- Ethical standards for generative media
- The evolving role of major institutions such as the Oscars