International
Chinese create $ 800 mn fund for investment in Hollywood
MUMBAI: China-based Sun Redrock Investment and Harvest Fund Management have decided to create a whopping $800-million fund to invest in tentpole productions in Hollywood and elsewhere that appeal to Chinese audiences.
Harvest Seven Stars Media Fund will operate in three distinct areas – mergers and acquitisions, distribution in Asia and movie content either through equity investment in companies or operating capital investment.
The fund meant for mergers and acquisitions will identify and take positions in niche dominant companies on a worldwide basis, enabling their consolidation and growth, particularly in the Chinese and Asian markets.
So far as operations go, it will build a comprehensive distribution and marketing platform in all media across China and beyond.
Announcing the deal, Wu said: “This new partnership emphasises our confidence in the strength and potential of the Chinese media industry and the wealth of talent within it. We look forward to cultivating this new joint venture and seeing it grow into one of the world‘s leading media funds.”
He said that films like the recent Mission Impossible — Ghost Protocol, a huge hit in China, are the kind of stuff that the fund would seek to invest in. He said it would also be interested in alliances with companies such as DreamWorks.
Harvest Alternative Investment Group is the alternative investment arm of Harvest Fund Management, marking it out as one of the first 10 fund management institutions authorised by the Chinese government as part of its strategy to open up and develop its financial sector.
Sun Redrock Investment is part of Sun Media Group founded by Bruno Wu and Yang Lan operating five major divisions including Redrock Capital, Sun Enterprises Group, Sun Publishing Group and Sun Culture Foundation, a charitable foundation which promotes philanthropy and corporate social responsibility in China.
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.
