International
Fox, Star team up with Huayi Brothers to make Chinese film
MUMBAI: Fox International Productions (FIP), Star Television Asia Limited (STAR) and China-based Huayi Brothers Media have announced a collaboration to produce and distribute a Chinese-language romantic comedy, Hot Summer Days.
Hot Summer Days is co-directed by first time directors Wing Shya, an internationally renowned cinematographer and fashion photographer and screenwriter Tony Chan and screenwriter Tony Chan. Director Fruit Chan and veteran filmmaker Paul Cheng are co-producers.
The film brings together acclaimed actors and pop stars from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, including Jacky Cheung (Perhaps Love), Nicholas Tse (Bodyguards and Assassins), Daniel Wu (Protege), Rene Liu (A World Without Thieves), Vivian Hsu (If You Are the One), Barbie Hsu (On His Majesty‘s Secret Service), Angelababy, Jing Boran, Duan Yihong (The Message), Fu Xinbo, and Gordon Liu (Kill Bill).
“We are very excited to be making Hot Summer Days,” said Fox International Productions president Sanford Panitch adding, “China is undoubtedly one of the most exciting markets in the world today and we hope this is just the beginning for Fox to make movies in the region.”
Set during a summer of record-breaking temperatures, Hot Summer Days tells six intertwined stories in which several people discover the myriad facets of love.
Said Star director Daniel Cheung, “We are thrilled to be part of this joint film production featuring the hottest talent across Greater China. As a media company that owns the largest contemporary Chinese movie library and two popular Chinese movie channels, Star is a strong supporter of the Chinese film industry. Our participation in this film production is further testament of our commitment.”
The principal photography of film began on 12 August and is shooting on locations in Beijing, Shenzhen and Hong Kong. It will wrap production in October and is scheduled for an early 2010 release in China by Huayi Brothers and by Twentieth Century Fox in all territories outside of Mainland China.
Huayi Brothers‘ president James Wang says, “Huayi Brothers highly values the partnership. We admire Fox‘s courage and decision in going into a mainstream romantic comedy. With a superb story, high production values and star-studded cast from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, Hot Summer Days will sure become the hottest movie for the Chinese New Year and Valentine‘s Day period.”
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.
