International
German director Andrea Schorr wins best film award at Tunis Film Fest
MUMBAI: This year‘s Tunis International Film Festival, that was held between 27 to 30 May, handed over the best film award of $5000 to German director Andrea Schorr for his film Im Anhang Lebenslauf took the top prize while Hallee Hirsh was named best actress for her role in the US director Becky Smith‘s film 16 to Life.
The festival, now in its fourth year had the words ‘Women, I Love You as its slogan and strove to honour women for their role in the film industry and in all walks of life. The event that was first launched in 2007 has always upheld the same slogan.
Besides Tunisia, more than 12 countries took part in the festival, including Japan, Mexico and the United States. All films featured were categorised as writers‘ films or films belonging to the independent cinema as opposed to commercial films.
Tunisia was represented by a film titled Samt al-Kosoor (The Silence of Castles) directed by Moufida Tletli.
The official competition comprised of six films including works from the US, Germany, Spain and Hungary as well as a British-Indian co-production.
A number of acclaimed figures like Claudia Cardinale, Yamina Ben Kiki and Tunisian actress Dora Zarrouk have earlier graced the festival.
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.
