International
Protagonist inks manufacture-on-demand deal
MUMBAI: UK-based distributor Protagonist Pictures has signed a pioneering “manufacture on demand” DVD deal with Amazon.com-subsidiary Createspace for the US.
It will make more than 50 vintage titles from Film4 catalogue available to American consumers. The deal will include titles such as Shekhar Kapur‘s The Bandit Queen, Pat O‘Connor‘s A Month InThe Country, Mike Leigh‘s Life Is Sweet, Mike Newell‘s SourSweet and Alan Clarke‘s Rita, Sue and Bob Too. They will be packaged as part of a branded Film4 Collection.
Nada Cirjanic, head of library sales at Protagonist, said, “We have a huge library. This is a really cost-effective and viable way of reaching potential buyers. This is a way for us to do the best we can for all the films in our library that are cleared and available for use.”
The DVDs will sell at between $15 and $20. To recoup its set-up costs, Protagonist said it only needs to sell around 20 copies of each film.
Till date, about 40 per cent of the Film4 library, which dates back to the launch of the channel in 1982, has been remastered.
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.
