International
Golden Apricot film fest ends on a rosy note
MUMBAI: The Golden Apricot International Film Festival ended in Armenian capital Yerevan on Sunday.
The festival, that was held from 11 to 18 July, had as many as 500 applications from around the world.
In the end, a total of 120 of these applications were selected for shows, including 45 films for participation on a competitive basis during the festival held July 11-18. Competion was held in three sections, with a five-member panel of international judges deciding which films to award prizes.
Turkish director Reha Erdem annexed the top award for his film Kosmos in the international feature film competition.
Russian director Pavel Kostomarov‘s film Together won an award for the Best International Documentary and in the Armenian Panorama Competition in which the prize-winning film was The Last Tightrope Performer in Armenia made by Arman Yeritsyan and Inna Sahakyan.
The FIPRESCI (International Federation of Film Critics) Jury Award went to Jasmila Zbanic for the film On the Path. The Ecumenical Jury Award was given to Suren Babayan for his film Don‘t Look in the Mirror.
The film festival was held with the support of the Ministry of Culture of Armenia.
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.
