International
Film exports from Korean drop in 2009
MUMBAI: According to new data from the Korean Film Council (KOFIC), film exports from Korea fell by 32.9 per cent in 2009.
Sales companies sold 279 films to 41 countries for a total of $14.1million (KRW16.4bn) last year. In 2008, 354 films sold to the same number of countries for a total of $21million.
KOFIC‘s study attributes the fall to the slump in local production during 2007 and 2008, as well as the indirect effects of the global financial crisis.
Asia still accounts for the majority of sales, taking up 72.43 per cent, up from 61.67% year-on-year with Europe taking 16.8 per cent, down from 42.7 per cent and North America buying 6.31 per cent, down from 71.6 per cent.
While Japanese buyers accounted for 42.1 per cent of the total export, sales to China rose sharply 78.4 per cent to $1million. The figure is similar to that of sales to the much smaller market of Taiwan that also went up by 22.9 to $1 million.
The government body also noted upon international business developments besides the export of completed films.
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.
