VIEW Conference is thrilled to announce that Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, directors of “KPop Demon Hunters,” the smash hit musical animated feature from Netflix and Sony Pictures Animation, are attending VIEW Conference 2025 in person. “KPop Demon Hunters” is currently streaming on Netflix.
This year’s VIEW Conference takes place from October 12-17, 2025, in the stunning baroque city of Turin, Italy. Tickets are now available on the official website:
viewconference.it/pages/registration
When they aren't selling out stadiums, KPop superstars Rumi, Mira and Zoey use their secret identities as badass demon hunters to protect their fans from an ever-present supernatural threat. Together, they must face their biggest enemy yet – an irresistible rival boy band of demons in disguise. In a special live presentation, the directors of “KPop Demon Hunters” will talk about the creation of this pop culture movie sensation that has taken the world by storm.
“Every so often a film comes along that captures the world’s imagination,” says Conference Director Dr. Maria Elena Gutierrez. “‘KPop Demon Hunters’ is one of those films, and I could not be more excited to welcome its two talented directors on to our stage here in beautiful Turin – I know their presentation is going to raise the roof!”
In addition, VIEW Conference is delighted to welcome VFX supervisors from two of this year’s biggest action blockbusters. Ryan Tudhope, overall VFX supervisor on Joseph Kosinski’s high-octane drama “F1: The Movie,” thrills our international audience with his detailed breakdown of the film’s white-knuckle visuals. Meanwhile ILM VFX supervisor Daniele Bigi delivers a dazzling presentation on the visual wizardry of Marvel Studio’s critically acclaimed superhero adventure “The Fantastic Four: First Steps.”
About Maggie Kang
Maggie Kang is a director of Sony Pictures Animation’s “KPop Demon Hunters,” which originated from her idea and is now streaming on Netflix. Kang began her career at DreamWorks Animation as a story artist on various projects including the “Puss In Boots” franchise and “The Croods: A New Age,” as well as “Rise of the Guardians,” “Kung-Fu Panda 3,” “Trolls,” “Shrek Forever After,” “Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa” and “Over the Hedge.”
Prior to joining Sony Animation, Kang contributed her talents as a story artist at Illumination Entertainment on “Minions: The Rise of Gru,” and Warner Animation Group, where she was Head of Story on “The LEGO Ninjago Movie.” Born in Seoul, Korea, Kang grew up in Toronto, Canada and attended Sheridan College where she studied classical animation.
About Chris Appelhans
Chris Appelhans is a director of Sony Pictures Animation’s “KPop Demon Hunters,” now streaming on Netflix, with fellow director Maggie Kang. Appelhans wrote and directed Sony Pictures Animation’s 2021 animated feature film “Wish Dragon,” also streaming on Netflix.
Prior to joining Sony Pictures Animation, Appelhans wrote and developed several original projects with major studios including Disney, Laika and Paramount. Appelhans began his career as a concept artist on animated hits such as “The Princess and the Frog,” “The Fantastic Mr. Fox,” and “Monster House,” before moving into production design on the stop-motion feature “Coraline,” which earned him an Annie Award nomination for his work on the film.
Appelhans’ other credits include story artist and illustrator on “The Little Prince” and character designer on “Rise of the Guardians.” Appelhans studied illustration at the Art Center College of Design. He resides in Eagle Rock with his wife Maurene and their cat.
About Ryan Tudhope
Ryan Tudhope most recently served as overall Visual Effects Supervisor for “F1: The Movie”, reuniting with director Joseph Kosinski to design effects that are invisible yet essential—immersing audiences in the film’s heart-pounding action without ever perceiving the craft behind it. Previously, he oversaw the visual effects on “Top Gun: Maverick”, earning an Academy Award nomination for his work. He demonstrates a particular interest in the convergence of live-action stunts and visual effects—sophisticated, invisible work born from close collaboration with directors, cinematographers, and physical departments. Combining these techniques with a deep understanding of digital effects, he strives for results that feel grounded and authentic.
An entrepreneur as well as a filmmaker, Tudhope co-founded the visual effects studio Atomic Fiction, guiding its growth to over 350 employees. Under his leadership, the team delivered projects such as “Blade Runner 2049”, “Deadpool”, “Pirates of the Caribbean”, “Ghost in the Shell”, “Star Trek Beyond”, and “Cosmos”, which earned him an Emmy nomination. Atomic Fiction was acquired by Deluxe in 2018. Earlier in his career, Ryan’s supervisor credits included “Hellboy”, “Sin City”, and “Superman Returns”. He began at Lucasfilm’s Skywalker Ranch at just 18 years old, working directly with George Lucas to design key sequences for “Star Wars: Episode I”. He is a member of both the Television Academy and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
About Daniele Bigi
Daniele Bigi is a VES Award–winning Visual Effects Supervisor. He most recently supervised ILM’s work on the new “Fantastic Four,” overseeing the look development of Ben (a.k.a. The Thing) and the villainous Galactus across several sequences throughout the film.
Bigi received an Emmy nomination and served as ILM’s VFX Supervisor on the second season of Amazon’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.” It was on this series that Bigi helped develop the look of several environments and creatures, including the stunning genesis of Sauron and the awakening of the Balrog.
Bigi has also led visual effects as VFX Supervisor on Marvel’s “Eternals,” Lucasfilm’s “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” Disney’s live-action “Aladdin,” and Steven Spielberg’s character-heavy “Ready Player One.” His work on “Ready Player One” involved populating the digital world of OASIS with a range of characters from 1980s films, games, and cartoons.
Bigi earned a VES Award for Outstanding Virtual Cinematography in a Photoreal Project for his contributions to “Ready Player One.” Additionally, he received a Saturn Award nomination for Best Visual Effects for “Aladdin” and a VES Award nomination for Outstanding Created Environment for “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.” Bigi is also an AMPAS member.
About VIEW Conference
An English language event, VIEW Conference 2025 takes place from October 12-17, 2025, in the beautiful baroque city of Turin, Italy. Enjoy this unrivaled opportunity to network with award-winning film directors, animators, artists and game designers as they deliver an incredible program of keynotes, panels, talks, workshops and masterclasses. Explore cutting-edge thinking in a wide range of creative and technology-based fields as a stellar line-up of stars from Hollywood and Silicon Valley. Celebrate the latest achievements in Animation, VFX and Games and share unforgettable visions of the future.
The conference’s vibrant and inclusive atmosphere is designed to enlighten and inspire, with an extensive live program of talks, presentations, workshops and masterclasses embracing cutting-edge thinking on such diverse topics as Storytelling, Virtual Production, Computer Graphics, Interactive & Immersive Media, VR/AR/Mixed Reality and the Metaverse, Artificial Intelligence, Real-Time Rendering and much, much more.