International
Roger Garcia is new ED of Hong Kong fest
MUMBAI: Hong Kong born Roger Garcia is the new executive director of the Hong Kong International Film Festival Society (HKIFFC).
Garcia, a former director of the festival, film producer, film critic and writer, will manage the society‘s three flagship events: the Hong Kong International Film Festival, the Hong Kong Asia Film Financing Forum and the Asian Film Awards.
Garcia‘s work with the Hong Kong International Film Festival started in the late 1970s soon after its inception, where he developed the programming of contemporary and classic Hong Kong cinema and Asian cinema and was involved in introducing the festival‘s bi-lingual publications to present Hong Kong cinema to the world.
Apart from his contribution to promoting arts and culture in Hong Kong, he was also the first Director of the Filmmakers‘ Development Lab for the Korean Film Council from 2005-2008.
He also held positions under the Cultural Services Division, Recreation and Culture Department and Home Affairs Department of the Hong Kong Government to advance and develop the arts and cultural sector in Hong Kong, as well as to promote overseas investments in the region as regional director, North America at the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in New York.
As a film producer, Garcia was behind Columbia Tristar‘s Mark Wahlberg vehicle The Big Hit and Filipino director Raymond Red‘s Himpapawid.
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.
