International
China and New Zealand filmmakers inch closer to co-productions
MUMBAI: Filmmakers from New Zealand and those from China have agreed to host more Chinese film productions in Auckland. This step is seen as a potential step toward a film co-productions treaty between the two countries.
The agreement struck last Sunday comes alongside a New Zealand Film Festival in China where it will coincide with the Shanghai International Film Festival that will be on from 12 to 20 June.
Said Film Auckland Executive Manager Michael Brook in a statement, “This is an extremely heartening move that will ensure greater communications, co-operation and co-productions between the Chinese and New Zealand film industries.”
The MOU and the Kiwi festival, combined with visits to the SIFF and the ongoing Shanghai World Expo 2010 will pave the way for future co-productions between the two countries, Brook said.
The MOU comes as the result of three years of work by Film Auckland and members of the Asia Pacific Producer‘s Network, a group of 80 senior producers from around the Asia-Pacific region who meet annually to promote cooperation and co-productions, the statement said.
The Kiwis‘ Chinese partner in the memorandum of understanding, the China Film Association, is a non-governmental professional body with a membership of 6,000 that advocates for China‘s growing film industry. Box-office in China jumped 43 per cent in 2009 to $909 million.
“Film Auckland has been working behind the scenes to ensure that a co-production treaty with China will happen soon. This will support several projects that New Zealand producers are developing,” the statement said.
International
Utopai Studios unveils 4K three-minute video generation for PAI platform
New Story Agent and editing tools aim to streamline AI-led filmmaking workflows
MUMBAI: Utopai Studios has announced a major upgrade to its PAI storytelling AI platform, introducing what it claims is an industry-first capability to generate three-minute videos in 4K resolution, alongside enhancements to its Story Agent feature.
The update, rolling out from April 15, expands the platform’s capabilities across the filmmaking process, from early concept development to post-production. The company said the new features are designed to help filmmakers maintain continuity across characters, scenes and visual styles, a key challenge in AI-driven storytelling.
At the heart of the release is a next-generation model that enables more structured narrative development, allowing creators to move more seamlessly from idea to execution. With tools such as multi-shot sequencing and multi-turn editing, the platform aims to give both studios and independent creators greater control over complex storytelling workflows.
Commenting on the launch, Utopai Studios co-founder and CTO Jie Yang said, “The next phase of AI in media will not be defined by isolated tools, but by systems that can carry story, continuity and collaboration across the full creative process.” He added that the update is a step towards enabling more practical, end-to-end narrative development at a professional level.
Echoing this, Utopai Studios co-founder and chief scientific officer Zijian He said, “Generative video is opening the door to a new production model, where creative ambition is less constrained by traditional cost and complexity.” He noted that the platform combines multimodal models with iterative editing to give creators more speed, control and consistency.
The company said PAI is already being used in professional film and television productions, particularly in Hollywood, for tasks such as pre-visualisation, scene design and post-production refinements. The latest update adds features including improved voice options, character consistency, unlimited editing and more flexible asset management.
Utopai also emphasised that its models are not trained on copyrighted material, positioning the platform as a cleaner alternative for creators and rights holders navigating the evolving AI landscape.
As AI continues to reshape content creation, Utopai’s latest push signals a shift from standalone tools to integrated systems, aiming to make high-quality filmmaking faster, more flexible and increasingly accessible.
