Reimagining Cinema in the Age of AI
A unique chance to meet award-winning filmmakers and leading AI artists from South Korea and Silicon Valley
and explore the future of AI filmmaking.
FILMART 2026 | 17 - 20 March
The School of Future Media will participate in "FILMART 2026", one of Asia's largest film and entertainment content marketplaces.
Check out our booth at Hall 1A-F08, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.
18 March | Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre
Meet AI Film Pioneers at the Forefront of Global Cinema
AI is not just a new tool in filmmaking, but a shift as profound as the advent of sound or digital cameras. This panel gathers pioneers to explore how AI dismantles barriers of budget, time, and scale, while raising urgent debates on authorship, authenticity, and the future of human creativity.
Time:
11:30 am - 1 pm
Venue:
Moonlight Theatre, HK Filmart, Hall 1C, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Wan Chai
Speakers:
- Professor Ruby Yang, Oscar-winning filmmaker and director, School of Future Media, HKU
- Ulrich Gaulke, award-winning filmmaker, AI creative director and senior lecturer, School of Future Media, HKU
- Yunsung Kang, film and TV director, S. Korea
- Hansl Kwon, CEO and director, Studio Freewillusion Inc., S. Korea, a Seoul-based AI media technology startup
- Jie Yang, co-founder and CTO, Utopai Studios, an AI-native film and TV production company headquartered in California, USA
Language:
English and Korean (with simultaneous interpretation in Cantonese, English and Putonghua)
*Open to public
17 March | HKU
Screening of the first South Korean AI film RUN TO THE WEST
Meet the Filmmakers: Directors Yunsung Kang and Hansl Kwon
Time:
Film Screening: 6 – 7:15 pm
Talk with directors: 7:15 – 8:30 pm
Venue:
Studio 303, Chong Yuet Ming Cultural Centre, The University of Hong Kong
Speakers:
Yunsung Kang, film and TV director, S. Korea
Hansl Kwon, CEO and director, Studio Freewillusion Inc., S. Korea, a Seoul-based AI media technology startup
Synposis:
Released in October 2025 in South Korea, "Run to the West" is one of the country's first feature film to aggressively incorporate AI for its characters and animation effects, sparking ethical discussions about the future of acting.
The story follows a group of people who are stuck in limbo after near-death experiences and hounded by unearthly figures who decide whether they belong in the afterlife or the land of the living.
Language:
English and Korean
*Open to public
19 March | HKU
Acting and Storytelling with AI characters
Time:
10 am – 1:30 pm
Venue:
G24, Eliot Hall, The University of Hong Kong
Speakers:
- Jie Yang, co-founder and chief technology officer, Utopai Studios, USA
Workshop with the Utopai Studios team:
- Qing Zhang, AI film and art team manager
- Yangen Shi, AI filmmaking technical artist
Language:
English & Putonghua
*Open to public
20 March | HKU
A Hollywood Perspective: AI & the Future of Filmmaking
A dialogue between Janet Yang, President of Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (Oscars), 2022-2025, and Professor Ruby Yang, Oscar-winning director
Time:
12 - 1:30 pm
Venue:
Studio 303, Chong Yuet Ming Cultural Centre, The University of Hong Kong
Language:
English
*Open to public
Featured Speakers
Ruby Yang
Oscar-winning director, HKU School of Future Media director and Professor
As a filmmaker and teacher, Ruby has inspired students from Hong Kong and beyond, elevating the art of storytelling both in journalism and filmmaking.
- My Voice, My Life Revisited (2020)
- Ritoma (2018)
- In Search of Perfect Consonance (2016)
- My Voice, My Life (2014)
- The Warriors of Qiugang (2010)
- A Moment in Time (2009)
- Tongzhi in Love (2008)
- The Blood of Yingzhou District (2006)
- Julia’s Story (2005)
- China 21 (2002)
- Citizen Hong Kong (1999)
Ulrich Gaulke
Award-winning filmmaker, AI creative director and senior lecturer, HKU School of Future Media
- Century of Women (2024)
- Sunset Over Mulholland Drive (2019)
- As Time Goes by in Shanghai (2014)
- Pink Taxi (2009)
- Comrades in Dreams (2006)
- Havanna, mi Amor (2000)
Yunsung Kang
Film and TV director, S.Korea
Returning to Korea, Kang worked as assistant director and produced videos until his feature debut The Outlaws (2017) starring Don Lee became a major hit. The film won him several Best New Director awards and led to other film projects, followed by the famous Disney+ series Casino (2022).
- Run To The West (2025)
- Low Life (2025)
- Hong Kong, Within Me (2023), organized by Hong Kong Toursim Board
- Big Bet (2022)
- Long Live the King (2019）
- The Outlaws (2017）
Hansl Kwon
CEO and director, Studio Freewillusion Inc., S. Korea, a Seoul-based AI media technology startup
- Run To The West (2025)
- One More Pumpkin (2024)
Janet Yang
President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, 2022-2025
Yang is a co-founder of GoldHouse, serves on the board of IMAX China, Forbes APEX, and Asia Society Southern California’s Advisory Council. She was named one of the "50 Most Powerful Women in Hollywood" by The Hollywood Reporter.
- The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996)
- The Joy Luck Club (1993)
- Empire of the Sun (1987)
Jie Yang
Co-founder and CTO, Utopai Studios, an AI-native film and TV production company headquartered in California, USA
Previously, he served on the founding team and as Head of Research at Mineral, an Alphabet company incubated at Google Research and Google X, advancing AI systems including multimodal LLMs, multi-agent frameworks, robotic perception, and ML training pipelines.