BIFAN Launches the Bucheon AI Contents Summit
- Jun 25
- 4 min read
BIFAN Launches the Bucheon AI Contents Summit
- Integrating AI, visual content, and tourism to position Bucheon as a global AI content hub
- A five-day event featuring over 300 participants from 12 countries, including AI film screenings, conferences, business meetings, and immersive exhibitions.
The 30th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (Festival Director SHIN Chul, hereafter BIFAN) will debut the Bucheon AI Contents Summit this July, a new platform dedicated to fostering global exchange and a business hub for the AI visual content industry.
The Bucheon AI Contents Summit is an integrated platform designed to establish a pioneering content industry model for BIFAN by fusing AI, visual content, and tourism. With the ambition of developing the summit into a new global hub for the AI content industry, BIFAN aims to create meaningful connections between creators and industry professionals from around the world.
▲ Bucheon AI Contents Summit Poster (Courtesy of BIFAN)
Centering around the theme of the AI Film Value Chain, the summit will run for five days from Saturday, July 4, to Wednesday, July 8. It will take place across various venues in Bucheon, including the Bucheon Arts Center, the Bucheon City Hall’s Fantastic Cube, and Bucheon Art Bunker B39. Approximately 300 key figures from 12 countries—including domestic and international AI content companies, creators, investors, and institutional representatives—are expected to participate. The programs include: AI Frontier (non-competitive AI film screenings), AI International Conference, AI·XR business meetings, Immersive Exhibition, Familiarization tour (FAM tour), and more.
Through AI film screenings and Immersive Exhibition, attendees will be able to gauge the latest trends in art & technology while gaining insights into the future of content creation. The AI Frontier section will showcase a diverse lineup of domestic and international AI films, including projects supported by BIFAN’s creative funding programs. Screenings will take place at Fantastic Cube for four days, from Saturday, July 4, to Tuesday, July 7. The immersive exhibition will offer visitors a chance to experience the future of content through outstanding XR works from Korea and around the world. The exhibition will be held at Bucheon Art Bunker B39 and Bucheon City Hall from Friday, July 3, to Sunday, July 12.
AI International conference, centered on the summit’s core theme of AI Film Value Chain, will bring together global experts to examine how AI technology is reshaping the landscape of the film industry. Professor KIM Daeshik of KAIST will open the conference with a keynote address on the Artificial Mimesis and the New Horizon of Future Cinema. Together with Damien PEREIRA, Chief Representative of the Quebec Government Office in Korea, the conference will examine Quebec's experience as a global hub for VFX, media art, and AI-based content production. Michael FAVELLE, CEO of Odin’s Eye—the distributor behind the first AI-feature documentary POST TRUTH—will discuss the current state of AI film distribution in Europe. Jay KIM, CEO of Studio Realive, and Katsutoshi MACHIBA, Director of Beyond the Frame Festival, will examine the future of next-generation audience experiences through examples of virtual performance production and virtual artists. In addition, SHIN Chul, Festival Director of BIFAN, Professor LEE Seungmu of the Korea National University of Arts, and attorney AN Heechul will deliberate on key issues surrounding copyright and ethics in the age of AI creation, offering practical perspectives on building a sustainable and responsible AI content ecosystem. The panel discussion that follows will share case studies of AI filmmakers securing investment from domestic and international companies as well as public funding support, while presenting practical directions for fostering a sustainable and healthy ecosystem for the AI-powered visual content industry.
In addition, the AI·XR creator showcase—an open pitching program for creators working on generative AI-based projects—will lead directly to business matchmaking. This will bring global AI film directors, content companies, and overseas buyers together to foster collaboration and investment opportunities. Furthermore, a Familiarization tour (FAM tour) will be organized to promote linkage with the local tourism industry.
BIFAN made history in 2024 as the first film festival to host an AI International Conference to discuss industry agendas, and has been nurturing emerging creators by introducing generative AI into its educational and support program, the Fantastic Film School. Building on this global network and pioneering experience in the AI film field, the Bucheon AI Contents Summit was selected for the Gyeonggi Province Regional Specialised MICE Discovery and Promotion Program 2026. As the host organization, BIFAN is fully committed to expanding the practical AI film ecosystem and building sustainable business models through this summit.
The Bucheon AI Contents Summit will be held during the 30th BIFAN, which kicks off on Thursday, July 2. All events of the summit are free of charge. Detailed schedules and reservation information will be announced through the official Bucheon AI Contents Summit website (www.bucheonsummit.com) at a later date.
■ Bucheon AI Contents Summit Overview
Title : Bucheon AI Contents Summit
Theme : AI Film Value Chain
Date : Saturday, July 5 – Wednesday, July 8, 2026 (4
days)
Venue : Bucheon Arts Center, Fantastic Cube at Bucheon City Hall, Bucheon Art Bunker B39, and other locations throughout Bucheon
Host/Organizer : Bucheon City / Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN)
Supporter : Gyeonggi Province, Gyeonggi Tourism Organization
■ Festival Overview
Title : 30th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival
Date : July 2 (Thu) – July 12 (Sun), 2026 (11 days)
Type : Non-competitive international film festival introducing partial competition
Scale : 320 films from 50 countries (169 features, 85 shorts, 38 AI films, 28 XR contents)
Main Venue : Bucheon City Hall, Korean Manhwa Museum, CGV Sopung, LOTTE Cinema Bucheon, Bucheon Art Bunker B39, Bucheon Astronomical Science Museum
Please contact the BIFAN PR Team for more details.
E. press@bifan.kr | M. +82-10-7367-6313 | T. +82-32-327-6313 (135, 140)
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