International
Filmmaker Tomas Vengris reveals his cinematic secrets at EUFF 2024
Mumbai: Day two of the 29th European Union Film Festival (EUFF) was a whirlwind of emotions, laughter, and thought-provoking cinema. From the comedy-drama ‘Death is a Problem for the Living’ directed by Teemu Nikki, to the romantic-drama ‘Five and a Half Love Stories In An Apartment In Vilnius, Lithuania’ helmed by Tomas Vengris, the day was a rollercoaster of cinematic experiences.
After the screening of the film Five and a Half Love Stories in an Apartment in Vilnius, Lithuania, the audience enjoyed an engaging panel discussion featuring film’s director Tomas Vengris, and Yile Yara Vianello, actress from the opening film La Chimera. The session was moderated by Padma’s Lit Club founder Padmapriya Janakiraman an accomplished dancer, and a seasoned actor with over 15 years in Indian cinema, including lead roles in more than 60 films across six languages.
The panel delved into the theme ‘Longing and Desire: On Screen,’ with each speaker sharing personal stories that explored the complexities of relationships, love, and the tension between personal dreams and societal pressures. Their insights resonated deeply, leaving a lasting impact on the audience.
During the panel, Tomas Vengris, the director of Five and a Half Love Stories in an Apartment in Vilnius, Lithuania, shared how he was drawn to the complex, often absurd emotions within relationships and aimed to bring these to life through his film.
He further added that, at some point, he decided to show these stories through the perspective of an apartment, through the POV of a physical building that has been there for centuries and has lived through a million stories, with people who’ve come in and gone out of it. As per him, this somehow allowed him to step back and reflect on things.
According to him, part of working in the comic genre is being able to watch from the side. Drama is when you’re looking directly into the perspective, but comedies allow you to step back a little bit, and that gives you the permission to laugh, and by placing the camera in the perspective of the apartment, gave one the permission to laugh. The camera is therefore in another room—behind a shelf, higher up and lower, at every angle so it doesn’t feel like a human being is watching the scene. Some of the little dream sequences in the film or interludes were also meant to show the feeling of this apartment’s spirit.
The 29th European Union Film Festival (EUFF) is currently ongoing in New Delhi till 16 November.
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.
