International
53rd International Film Festival of India (IFFI) aims to promote cinema business, says I&B minister
Mumbai: The 53rd International Film Festival of India (IFFI) is scheduled to be held from 20-28 November 2022 in Goa. A steering committee has been formed to conduct this year’s event. The steering committee is deliberating the roadmap for the event.
Information & Broadcasting (I&B) minister Anurag Singh Thakur said that his vision for IFFI is to work closely with the film fraternity from Indian Cinema and use their expertise as well as understanding to take the 53rd IFFI to the next level. Also, he said that IFFI is a festival that aims to promote the business of cinema for the benefit of the film industry by providing collaborations and networking in order to boost the ‘creative economy’ of India. He added that the creative economy has the potential & talent to create new entrepreneurs in the media & entertainment (M&E) sector which will help transform India into a content and post production hub for the world.
The function of the steering committee is to support the ministry to finalise the IFFI programming which includes various sections of IFFI programme, master classes, workshops and cultural components.
The steering committee deliberated over various components of IFFI and discussed ways to enhance collaborations with international film makers, participation of regional cinema, giving a platform to young filmmakers as well as showcase new trends in cinema along with emerging technology that enhances the experience of cinema lovers. The steering committee will hold a number of meetings in the run up to IFFI and ideate on content curation and explore partnerships.
Simultaneously, the festival aims at providing a common platform for filmmakers from across the globe to showcase their talent and put forth the excellence of cinema from all over. Bringing together film cultures, the festival aims to allow the understanding of various social and cultural ethos and appreciation of world cinema. The festival is conducted jointly by the directorate of film festivals (under the ministry of information and broadcasting, government of India) and the state government of Goa.
With an aim of providing a common platform for the cinemas of the world to project the excellence of film art, IFFI celebrates cinematic works every year from India and around the world.
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.
