The E&M, Successfully Concludes Special Forum at the 29th Busan International Film Festival

Ceremony commemorating the Special Forum of the 29th Busan International Film Festival. / Photo by The E&M

THE E&M announced on the 4th that the special forum co-hosted by DMP STUDIOS at the 29th Busan International Film Festival concluded successfully.

The forum, held the previous day at the Westin Chosun Busan, was conducted under the theme "International Film Production Studio Industry and VFX Production System Environment, and SOM:CITY STUDIO." It attracted enthusiastic interest from about 150 film industry professionals and the general public.

This event is part of THE E&M's video culture complex project, "SOM:CITY STUDIO," currently underway in Incheon. The company explained that through collaboration with global production companies such as Amazon MGM Studios and Lucasfilm, they aim to "establish Korea as a global hub for video content production and distribution and lay the foundation to become the Hollywood of Asia."

The event featured special guest speakers with extensive experience and recognition in Hollywood, including Glenn S. Gayner (Head of Film Production at Amazon MGM Studios), TJ Poles (Vice President of VFX at Lucasfilm), and Steven Oh (CEO of XM2 GROUP).

Glenn S. Gayner shared Amazon MGM Studios' know-how by comparing film production systems and country-specific tax incentives in Hollywood and other countries. TJ Poles explained the VFX production process and environment using the Star Wars series produced by Lucasfilm as an example.

Steven Oh, a leader in drone development, introduced the filming site of the movie "Mission: Impossible" and unveiled the world's only independently developed drone. He also gave a presentation on accident prevention during filming, safety regulations, and the importance of animals, nature, and environmental protection, which received great acclaim.

Additionally, the panel for the comprehensive discussion and Q&A session on "The Direction and Activation Plans of SOM CITY STUDIO Dreaming of Becoming the Hollywood of Asia" included moderator Kim Young-jin (former Chairman of the Korean Film Council), Ra Je-gi (reporter at Hankook Ilbo), Choi Jung-hwa (Chairman of the Korean Film Producers Association), Kim Jung-seok (CEO of the Korean Film and Video Copyright Association), Jo Do-hee (Director at Samjong KPMG), and Kim Jang-hak (Director at THE E&M).

The company continued in-depth discussions at the forum on ways to improve the domestic film production environment to become like Hollywood and on the technologies possessed by Amazon MGM and Lucasfilm. Alongside this, they explored strategies to produce high-quality content through collaboration by introducing systems benchmarked on Hollywood production infrastructure and providing various technical supports.

A representative who attended the reception after the forum said, "Through this forum, I was able to learn about the latest trends and future prospects of Hollywood film production systems and the VFX industry," adding, "I hope SOM:CITY STUDIO becomes Asia's Hollywood representing Korea."

A THE E&M official stated, "We will continuously strengthen global partnerships to develop the Korean video industry," and added, "We will strive to ensure that SOM:CITY STUDIO pioneers new markets and opportunities for K-content."

Meanwhile, THE E&M participated as a sponsor in the 29th Busan International Film Festival. Earlier, it was selected as the preferred negotiator for the Cheongna Video and Culture Complex Project and signed a design service contract worth approximately 16.9 billion KRW in September.