International
WTO‘s no to China‘s appeal against opening up its film market
MUMBAI: China‘s appeal against a ruling that it must stop forcing US content owners to use state-owned companies to distribute movies and books has been rejected by the World Trade Organization (WTO).
The ruling effectively breaks the monopoly that China Film Group Corporation and Huaxia Film Distribution currently have on the distribution of foreign films in China. Under the current rules, the US studios usually take around 17 per cent of the box-office of revenue-sharing films.
However the WTO ruling does not address China‘s import quota of 20 revenue-sharing foreign films a year.
“With the rejection of China‘s appeal, the WTO has taken a major step forward in leveling the playing field for America‘s creative industries seeking to do business in China,” said Motion Picture Association chairman Dan Glickman, in a statement.
“In spite of all the restrictions we face, there is no shortage of US filmed entertainment in China. Unfortunately, far too much of it is pirated,” Glickman added.
In its argument, China had argued that it needed to impose controls on the market that are in line with the country‘s stage of economic development and also to protect public morals.
The WTO judges agreed that China has the right to ban foreign films and books that government censors deem objectionable.
The ruling comes at a time when China‘s theatrical market is expanding rapidly – box office is expected to grow by 40 per cent to $882m this year. US movies such as Transformers 2 and 2012 have seen big numbers in China this year, grossing around $60 million apiece.
Meanwhile Avatar is due to open in China in the beginning of January – a time that is usually reserved for local productions.
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.
