International
Japan film and animation firms among orders at Tiffcom
MUMBAI: At the 7th Tokyo International Film Festival Content Market (Tiffcom), recent trade fair in Japan, local film and animation firms secured close to $1 million worth of deals film at).
According to data from the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions, Hubo Productions, a Mandaluyong-based independent production house garnered the most trade inquiries among all 10 Philippine participating companies at the Festival.
Also local subtitling and dubbing company Beginnings at Twenty Plus got a lot of inquiries mostly from companies that it had already done some work for, indirectly.Most of those that inquired about Beginnings at Twenty Plus‘ services discovered that the firms they had outsourced jobs to had tapped the dubbing and subtitling firm to do the work for them.
The full-length 3D animated film RPG Metanoia, the entry of Star Cinema, Ambient Media and Thaumatrope Animation to the Metro Manila Film Festival also generated a lot of interest among the festival attendees that included network giant Turner Entertainment Networks Asia.
Production companies from China, Malaysia and Thailand also saw the possibility of co-producing the 3D animated flick in their countries. This buyer response made RPG Metanoia the country‘s best-selling offering at Tiffcom.
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.
