The opening ceremony of the 3rd Sino-Malaysian Film Exchange Festival was held on the 26th at the Mid Valley GSC cinema in Kuala Lumpur, with the opening film being "Lingnan Kungfu Kids" directed by Hong Kong director Ko Chi Sum. Ko Chi Sum and actor Yuan Teng were both awarded the “Sino-Malaysian Film and Cultural Exchange Contribution Award.” At the ceremony, a signing ceremony for the “Strategic Memorandum of Cooperation on 100 Sino-Malaysian Short Dramas” was also held.
With the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) technology and its gradual transformation of film and television production methods, AI also became a focus of discussion at the opening ceremony. Ko Chi Sum stated that AI has indeed impacted the film and television industry, but similar situations are not new in history. When movies first appeared 100 years ago, people worried that stage plays would be replaced; when television became popular, there were also fears that movies would disappear. However, in the end these different mediums continued to coexist, as the viewing experiences offered by various forms cannot truly replace one another.
The organizing committee chairman Xu Kangwen pointed out that AI is changing the way films are made. Not only is it reducing costs and increasing efficiency, but it is also lowering the barrier to entry, enabling more independent filmmakers to create virtual scenes and handle post-production. He also mentioned the upcoming local film "Perang Zombi," which uses AI technology in its production, reflecting how the local film industry is actively keeping pace with these trends.
After signing the “Strategic Memorandum of Cooperation on 100 Sino-Malaysian Short Dramas” on behalf of Lemon Films and VYBE President Su Caiyu, director Li Yongchang said that the two parties will collaborate to produce more than 100 short dramas, developing local original content with the “AI + live-action short drama” model. He hopes that with AI, budgetary constraints can be overcome, allowing for the realization of scenes that were previously difficult to present due to cost limits, and thus more creativity can come to fruition.
The 3rd Sino-Malaysian Film Exchange Festival, themed “Diversity and Integration, Mutual Cultural Learning,” is being held from today until July 5, with screenings split between the weekends of June 26-28 and July 3-5. Participating Malaysian and Chinese films include "Indera," "House Keeping," "Boonie Bears: Guardian Code," "Claw Machine," "Nanjing Photo Studio," and "Assassin in Red 2." All showings are priced at a flat rate of RM15, and tickets can be purchased via the GSC official website and mobile app.