International
Duthie is BigPond Adelaide fest’s CEO
MUMBAI: The BigPond Adelaide Film Festival has appointed ABC‘s Amanda Duthie as its incoming director and CEO. Duthie replaces Katrina Sedgwick who will relinquish office at the end of the year. Duthie is currently the content head of arts and entertainment at the ABC.
Said chairpersion of BAFF Board Sandra Sdraulig in a statement, “Finding someone to fill the very large shoes of Katrina Sedgwick, the Festival‘s founding director and creative dynamo who has evolved BAFF into one of the world‘s most exciting film events was a daunting task.
I feel absolutely confident that Amanda Duthie is that person, an individual with extraordinary skills, energy, knowledge and networks who we are absolutely delighted will guide the Festival into the future.”
Excited by the appointment Duthie said, “I am so thrilled to have the opportunity to join this dynamic and respected Festival, which I have attended many times as a film lover.
The BigPond Adelaide Film Festival is the most exciting arts and big screen content gig in the country and I am thrilled to be offered the position. Katrina Sedgwick has created an internationally acclaimed film event and I will honour it with the same passion and enthusiasm for Australian and international stories. I look forward to joining the team in Adelaide in the new year.”
Beginning her career as executive producer and series producer at SBS through the 90s, Duthie left the organization to work as associate producer of Beyond the Fatal Shore, a PBS-BBC-ABC production.
In December 2003, Duthie joined the ABC as commissioning editor and executive producer of arts and entertainment before being appointed head of content arts and entertainment in 2008. Here she worked closely with the Adelaide Film Festival jointly investing in films such as Bob Connolly‘s Mrs Carey‘s Concert, Beck Cole‘s Here I Am and Matthew Bate‘s Stunt Love besides investing $200,000 in the festival‘s Hive Production fund projects.
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.
