Weta FX, TAICCA Launch AI Production Hub

Weta FX, the New Zealand visual effects studio known for "The Lord of the Rings" and "Avatar," is partnering with the Taiwan Creative Content Agency to build an AI-driven production center in Asia. The two organizations will formally unveil the collaboration on November 6 at the Taiwan Creative Content Fest in Taipei. The announcement will take place on the main stage immediately following the opening ceremony.

The agreement consists of three main components: joint investment, AI research and development, and the training of new industry talent. Weta FX and the Taiwan Creative Content Agency are keeping detailed terms of the deal private until the launch event. The partnership aims to connect Taiwanese technologists and creative professionals with global screen production work by combining local AI capabilities with Weta FX’s visual effects expertise and international network.

Sue Wang, chair of the Taiwan Creative Content Agency, will appear at the event alongside three Weta FX executives. The studio representatives include CEO Daniel Seah, chief technology officer Kimball Thurston, and VFX supervisor Sheldon Stopsack. For Seah, the deal has a personal connection as he grew up in Taiwan. The studio has also been strengthening ties on the island recently, appearing at the Taoyuan International Film & Technology Forum in August.

The collaboration aligns with the Taiwan Creative Content Agency’s mandate to use new technologies for content creation. The agency recently concluded TTXC Innovations, a market platform designed to bring creators, tech developers, investors, and distributors together to move cultural content and technology to market. The Taiwan Ministry of Culture established the agency in 2019 to support local content across film, TV, animation, publishing, comics, music, gaming, and the performing arts.

Weta FX operates from its headquarters in Wellington, with additional offices in Vancouver and Melbourne. The studio has accumulated eight Oscars for visual effects, 17 Academy Science & Technology Awards, eight BAFTAs for special visual effects, 10 VES Awards in the photoreal feature category, and five Emmys. Its most recent release was "Avatar: Fire and Ash" in 2025. The studio is currently working on "The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum," Marvel Studios' "Avengers: Doomsday," and "Children of Blood and Bone."