International Film Camp 2026 – Five Days of Creation: From Macau to Asia, Passing the Torch to Light up Asian Cinema’s future
From vertical short dramas to film festival markets, from AI creation to human warmth: a diverse programme lets filmmakers’ creativity and potential fully blossom.
The 3rd International Film Camp was held from 18 to 22 September 2026 at The Venetian Macao. Over five days, participants took part in panels, screenings, masterclasses, pitching sessions, and seminars covering the full journey of a film—from creative development to marketing and AI—giving them a broad view of the industry today and tomorrow. In the pitching session, they presented their projects directly to judges and received professional feedback.
The first half built creative foundations; the second widened the focus to the market and future—covering micro-dramas, AI, festival selection, investment, and pitch training, all addressing one practical question: how does a film reach its audience?
Day 3: How the Vertical Era and AI Are Reshaping Filmmaking
Day 3 opened with a panel on micro-drama, featuring researcher Pengnan HU and WANG Kunlin, who has ten years of cross-genre filmmaking experience. Pengnan HU began by discussing the recent growth of vertical short dramas and their future potential. As global competition intensifies, micro-dramas are accelerating their “localisation,” with content tailored to different markets—creating fresh opportunities for creators.
WANG Kunlin then joined via Zoom to share her experience producing vertical dramas and AI content. Unlike traditional films, vertical dramas are shot much faster—typically in just six to eight days—so the director’s core role shifts to on-set execution, such as camera blocking. Yet, she believes directors remain essential in understanding audiences, shaping emotional layers, and building a visual world—and she remains optimistic about the medium’s future.
The second panel continued the micro-drama discussion with Pengnan HU and Stephen LIU, CFO of NetShort, one of the world’s leading short-drama platforms. LIU suggested the industry may eventually catch up with traditional streaming platforms. He also pointed out that micro-dramas not only lower the barrier to entry but also represent a shift in how content is created. As new media grows, new types of jobs are emerging, and value is shifting from labour and production toward genuine creativity and ideas. His conclusion: anyone can enter the market now, but only those with real taste and judgment will survive.
The third session was a lively demonstration of films made by Salon Films Group. We were delighted to have the Chairman of Salon Films Group, Mr Fred WANG, share his stories throughout the screening. He brought along a 35mm film camera used to make the clips and warmly invited everyone to try holding it, the room was soon filled with laughter and excitement. He reminded us that filmmaking is really about content, not just shooting a video; a movie is half idea and half execution—turning thoughts into film. He also encouraged participants to think about their shooting locations beforehand, and with a big smile, cheered on all the young, passionate filmmakers to keep creating.
After the insightful panels, at night, production mentor TENG Lee Yein and Janet WU—General Manager of Bright East Films (Beijing) and Director of the China Film Foundation – WU Tianming Film Fund for Young Talents—led a project rehearsal for the participants, offering detailed advice on everything from team building and market feedback to pitching skills, helping everyone prepare for the judging panel.
Day 4: Pitching Day
Then all 16 participants officially delivered their pitches, presenting their project content, team, and preparation progress to the judges on Day 4. After the training, everyone performed with greater confidence and a sharper grasp of their presentation timing.
Day 5: A Guide to Festivals Around the World
Our first panel on the final day welcomed Albert LEE (Executive Director, Hong Kong International Film Festival), Sabrina BARACETTI (Founder and President, Udine Far East Film Festival, Italy), and Thomas NAM (Programmer, Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival / Managing Director, Network of Asian Fantastic Films), sharing hands-on experience in festival curation, project markets, and film submission. From the founding of each festival to Udine’s Focus Asia project market, and BIFAN’s genre expertise—our guests spoke candidly about selection criteria, how to choose the right festival, and why doing your research before submitting can save time and money. A truly practical festival guide for emerging filmmakers.
The second panel continued the festival conversation with a deeper look into how the genre film market operates. Thomas NAM returned to the stage, joined by Thomas BERTACCHE (CEO of Italy’s Tucker Film and founding member of the Udine Far East Film Festival), Janet WU (General Manager of Bright East Films and Director of the China Film Foundation – WU Tianming Film Fund for Young Talents), and Jacob WONG (Director of the HKIFF Industry Office and Berlinale delegate for Chinese-language cinema). Speakers shared what the market truly values, noting that emerging filmmakers benefit greatly from having an experienced producer on board—bringing credibility, planning, and structure to a project. They also introduced various training programmes, highlighting how these build skills and networks, offering participants paths into the film industry and opening doors of opportunity.
Serrino LIU, an AI Product Expert at Tencent Miora, holds a master’s degree from Harvard focused on AI. At Miora, he leads product innovation across film, 3D, and interactive formats, bringing AI agents into content creation and interactive workflows. He joined us on site to show participants how AI Agents can be applied to content creation and interactive scenarios—including generating visuals from scripts and enhancing existing footage.
Over the five days, participants went through a complete immersion—from the first spark of personal creativity to the realities of the market. They heard Philip NG speak about honesty and criticism; saw how four emerging directors made their most passionate debut films; learned from directors how much mindset and attitude matter on set; and, through Cannes winners, festival directors, producers, and AI experts, caught a glimpse of the changes reshaping the film industry. All of this gave young filmmakers a firmer grasp of today’s film landscape.
About the International Film Camp
The International Film Camp is organised by the Asian Film Awards Academy, under the patronage of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government and the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao Special Administrative Region Government, and sponsored by the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency (CCIDAHK), the Film Development Fund (FDF) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, Sands China Limited, and Shaw Studios.
