Netflix announced its sponsorship of a program led by the Korean Academy of Film Arts (KAFA) to support emerging content creators in Korea. The sponsorship agreement between Netflix and the Korean Film Council (KOFIC) supports the Academy’s training programs and includes creative grants for outstanding participants of KAFA’s 2023 curriculums.
Established by the Korean Film Council in 1984, KAFA is Korea’s top educational film institution and offers programs in directing, cinematography, animation and producing. Many of the films produced by KAFA’s programs have won awards at both domestic and international film festivals.
Netflix will also sponsor KAFA’s special lecture on understanding the global streaming environment. This move follows a previous memorandum of understanding signed between Netflix, KOFIC and the Korean Creative Content Agency on 27 April in Washington D.C., USA, with the aim of strengthening the competitiveness of the Korean content industry by supporting workforce training.
“We appreciate Netflix’s sponsorship for the continuous development of K-Content,” said KOFIC chairperson Park Ki-yong. “Through this agreement, programs that help to develop the global film and video industry by nurturing the next generation of talent will be further accelerated. We will do our best to bring out the “next Bong Joon-ho” at KAFA and promote cooperation between Korea and the United States in the field of content.”
Netflix Korean content vice president Don Kang said, “Our local investments have created employment for thousands in Korea and we’re committed to developing up-and-coming Korean talent both behind and in front of the camera. We will continue to explore ways to partner with the industry in Korea to develop growth opportunities for the country’s creative community.”
This is the first year that Netflix is sponsoring a KAFA program through the Netflix Fund for Creative Equity. Since its inception in 2021, the fund has empowered more than 150 filmmakers in Asia-Pacific to create and tell their stories through numerous Netflix-backed film programs, camps and workshops.