International
South Korea edges past Phillipines in Asian Film Awards
MUMBAI: Mother, the South Korean film about a mother who searches for a way to acquit her mentally-incapacitated son from a murderous charge was voted as the Best Film at the 4th Asian Film Awards (AFA) that was held on 22 March in Hongkong.
The film brushed aside the Philippine film Lola and other nominees from China (City of Life and Death), Taiwan (No Puedo Vivir Sin Ti), Japan (Parade) and Hong Kong/China (Bodyguards and Assassins).
Two days before the 4th Asian Film Awards could begin, Lola received accolades at the 24th Fribourg International Film Festival in Switzerland. The movie won the Ecumenical Jury Award, the Don Quijote Award of the FICC Jury, and a special mention from the International Jury of the FICC.
Lola director Mendoza, who was nominated in the Asian Film Awards Best Director category, bowed out to Chinese filmmaker Lu Chuan for his entry City of Life and Death (China), which deals with the Battle of Nanjing during the Second Sino-Japanese War.
The Philippines suffered a third defeat in the Best Editor category. Filipino nominee Kats Serraon (for his work in Lola) gave way to Malaysian Lee Chatameikool of Karaoke in their category.
Although Lola did not bring home trophies from the 4th Asian Film Awards, it will be screened during Hong Kong‘s month-long Entertainment Expo along with Mendoza‘s Kinatay that won for him the Best Director trophy at the 2009 Cannes Film Awards.
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.
