International
Academy grants $ 45,000 to film festivals in US
MUMBAI: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has awarded $455,000 to 25 US film festivals for the next calendar year.
The first on the list is the Cleveland International Film Festival that will receive a multiyear grant (three years) of $ 150,000 for its ‘Focus on Filmmakers‘ programme. The Chicago International Film Festival, that is in its second year of a multiyear grant will receive $150,000 in total for its ‘World Cinema Spotlight‘ programme.
While the grants are awarded for a number of festival programs, organizers are encouraged to submit proposals intended to make festival events more accessible to the general public, provide greater access to minority and less visible filmmakers and help strengthen the connection between filmmakers and the general public.
Festivals that will receive a grant of $30,000 will be the Los Angeles Film Festival for its ‘Free Screenings‘ programme and San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival for its ‘World Cinema Spotlight‘ programme.
Since its establishment in 1999, the Academy‘s Festival Grants Program has distributed 277 grants totaling $4.85 million in funding. The Foundation also presents the Academy‘s rich assortment of screenings and other public programs each year.
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.
