International
53rd IFFI: 12 international and 3 India films to compete for Golden Peacock Award
Mumbai: The 53rd edition of the International Film Festival of India is all set to begin from 20 to 28 November in Goa. During the festival, 15 films will compete for the coveted Golden Peacock at IFFI. The entertainment-packed line-up comprises 12 international and three Indian films that represent emerging trends in the aesthetics and politics of art.
Since the very first Golden Peacock was awarded in the third edition of IFFI, the prize has been among the most sought-after film awards in Asia.
The jury tasked with the impossible job of picking a winner this year comprises of Israeli writer and film director Nadav Lapid, American producer Jinko Gotoh, French film editor Pascale Chavance, French documentary filmmaker, film critic, and journalist Javier Angulo Barturen, and India’s very own film director Sudipto Sen.
The 12 international films include Perfect Number, Red Shoes, A Minor, No End, Mediterranean Fever, When the waves are gone, I have Electric Dreams, Cold as Marble, The Line, Seven Dogs, Maariya: The Ocean Angel, and Nezouh.
And in the thick of the competition this year, the three Indian movies that are running for this prominent award are The Kashmir Files, The Storyteller, and Kurangu Pedal.
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.
