(From left) Yang Long, Ronan Wong, head of Next Interactive Studio, Ken Cui, CTO of Next Interactive Studio, Ohara Xiao, producer of <Replica> (provided by BIFAN)
‘The 30th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival’ (Executive Director Shin Cheol, hereinafter BIFAN) on the 5th presented the premium interactive film lineup of Next Interactive Studio (Next Interactive Studio) and the interactive cinema ecosystem the company developed in-house. This announcement offered a glimpse into the future of a new theatrical experience that goes beyond traditional film viewing.
The ‘Next Interactive Studio Roadshow’ (Next Interactive Studio Roadshow) is being held as part of the NAFF Project Market, an industry program at BIFAN that leads project development, co-production, and film-industry exchange.
Ronan Wong (Ronan Wong), founder of Next Interactive Studio, is a pioneering producer who successfully led the commercial release of interactive films. Serving as interactive advisor to the film <Hypnosis Mic-Division Rap Battle>, he helped it record box-office receipts exceeding 2.5 billion yen despite being screened in fewer than 100 theaters in Japan and sustain a run of about a year, a feat dubbed a miracle of the 2025 Japanese box office. Wong emphasized that, the more digital the era becomes, the more frequently people should communicate through technology and restore human bonds, which is what Next Interactive Studio aspires to.
A flagship of the Next Interactive Studio Roadshow is <Replica>, the first-ever Chinese-language interactive feature-length animation, co-produced by Kinlea Culture (Kinlea Culture) and Next Interactive Studio. Kinlea Culture has, even amid a sluggish content market, focused on the ‘emotional value’ audiences want and has been pioneering new pathways. <Replica> expands this across three dimensionscontent emotion, immersive emotion, and social emotioncreating a breakthrough in the fusion of technology and entertainment and suggesting a new route for exporting cultural content.
Next Interactive Studio Roadshow venue (provided by BIFAN)
Next Interactive Studio demonstrates its capability to apply interactive technology across genres, emphasizing global scalability built on three languages: Chinese, Japanese, and English. The lineup includes the Japanese romantic-fantasy interactive film game <Monster Princess>, which delivers strong immersion through a first-person perspective, in sharp contrast to the dark, tension-filled, third-person English interactive thriller game <The Run>.
<The Run> already has a companion game released and in service. Through this lineup, Next Interactive Studio has demonstrated that interactive technology can maximize immersion across multiple genres, from animation and romance to psychological thrillers.
Beyond entertainment, Next Interactive Studio proposes a ‘scene revolution’ that redefines the theater space itself. <Psyche’s Chamber: Vibe Match> is a representative example.
The app analyzes audience choices in the film in real time and, as dating content that matches viewers with similar preferences, shows the potential to transform theaters into new social hubs. The studio is also taking the lead in delivering social value. The interactive mini-film <Xiaoyu’s Choice>, used as a psychological education program in Chinese elementary schools, suggests that interactive technology can ease human loneliness and create authentic, real-time participatory experiences.
(From left) the interactive film <The Run>, <Replica>, the interactive film game <Monster Princess>
Ronan Wong, founder of the Next Interactive Roadshow, said, “Our technology completely redefines the relationship between audiences and films”, and added, “It is turning theaters into one-of-a-kind special social spaces and transforming passive viewing venues into arenas for collective experiences that everyone builds together.”
Armed with novelty through collaboration with Next Interactive Studio, the 30th BIFAN is taking place across Bucheon from the 2nd to the 12th.
(From left) the interactive film <The Run>, <Replica>, the interactive film game <Monster Princess>
