Japan Named Focus Country for Busan's Producer Hub 2026
Japan will be the focus country at the 2026 edition of the Asian Contents & Film Market's Producer Hub, the co-production networking platform that runs each October in Busan alongside the Busan International Film Festival (Variety).
The announcement means ten Japanese producers will travel to Busan in October for project pitching, speed meetings and case-study sessions at the Producer Hub, a forum designed for producers pursuing international co-productions — films made jointly by companies from two or more countries, sharing budgets, talent and distribution.
Producer Hub launched in 2024 and is now in its third year. Korea held the inaugural focus-country slot, co-hosted by the Korean Film Council. Canada took the 2025 slot alongside Telefilm Canada, drawing 154 producers from 25 countries. Its partner network has grown from eight organisations across seven countries at launch to 13 organisations across ten countries.
ACFM Director Ellen Y.D. Kim told Variety that Japan is "today Asia's most dynamic co-production partner," with international collaboration expanding beyond arthouse fare into commercial films and series. Japan was also the country of honour at the 2026 Cannes Film Market, held in May.
The 2026 Producer Hub runs four days, from 10 to 13 October — one day longer than the 2025 edition. It sits inside the broader ACFM, a marketplace where films, audiovisual content, webtoons and web novels are traded. The market runs at BEXCO's Exhibition Center 2 in Busan, overlapping with the 31st Busan International Film Festival, set for 6 to 15 October.
The 2025 ACFM was its largest edition yet — the market's 20th. Registration reached 1,222 companies and 3,024 professionals across 55 countries, with total on-site attendance of 30,006. The Sales Market logged 8,438 business meetings and an estimated transaction value of $71.1 million.
What gives the Japan pick its weight is the trajectory. A focus-country slot puts a delegation's producers face-to-face with potential partners from across Asia and beyond, in a market that has grown its footprint each year. For Japanese producers, the Busan stage offers access to Korean, Southeast Asian and broader international co-production pipelines at a moment when cross-border content investment in Asia is climbing.
Producers interested in participating can apply through the ACFM website, with the application window open through 31 August. General market badge registration opened on 6 July, and booth sales are ongoing.
