International
F&ME to make The Spy Princess at $15 million
MUMBAI: London-based feature film production outfit Film and Music Entertainment (F&ME) will soon embark on its biggest project yet.
The outfit, celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, is developing the $15 million The Spy Princess currently being written by Happy Feet and Babe: Pig in the City screenwriter Judy Morris.
Based on the biography by Shrabani Basu, The Spy Princess tells the true story of Noor Inayat Khan, a Muslim Sufi female secret agent who was awarded the George Cross and the Croix de Guerre.
A director will be announced shortly for the project, due to go into production in the fourth quarter of 2010.
Morris, a long time collaborator with George Miller was nominated for an Annie for her work on Happy Feet. Another (F&ME), project in pre-production in Durban and set to start shooting in 10 days, is Streetkids United.
Directed byTim Pritchard, Streetkids is about group of British and African street kids preparing for the Street World Cup. Produced by Downey, Taylor and Sandy Markwick the film is executive produced by Stephen Daldry.
The film, which is backed sports and media celebrities including Simon Mayo, Jamie Redknapp, Gary Lineker, Nancy Dell‘Olio and Alastair Campbell, will be ready in time to coincide with the 2010 World Cup.
Another film is Dominic Murphy‘s A Gift From the Culture that will also be shot in South Africa in September next. Shane Smith, who wrote Murphy‘s White Lightnin‘ has scripted the film based on a short story by Iain M. Banks.
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.
