International
Hawk Koch is president of the Academy
MUMBAI: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences‘ board of governors have elected film producer Hawk Koch as its new president yesterday. He succeeds Tom Sherak, who has held the honorary position since 2009.
After assuming the Academy post, Koch follows in the footsteps of his father, the late producer Howard W. Koch, who served as Academy president from 1977 to 1979.
Koch has been a member of the Academy‘s producer‘s branch since 2004. He has served a three-year term as treasurer, served another one-year term as vice president, and was first vice president of the Academy during the past year.
The veteran film producer‘s credits range from 1978‘s Heaven Can Wait to 1992‘s Wayne‘s World and its 1993 sequel to 2002‘s Collateral Damage. He recently served as executive producer of Source Code and is exec producer on the upcoming Very Good Girls. Hawk also currently serves, along with Mark Gordon, as one of the two presidents of the Producers Guild of America.
The board also elected public relations branch governor Cheryl Boone Isaacs as the board‘s first vice president. While producer Kathleen Kennedy was elected as one vp post, writers branch governor Phil Robinson was elected as the second. Public relations branch governer Rob Friedman, co-chairman and CEO of Summit Entertainment, was elected treasurer. Finally, executives branch governor Robert Rehme, who was a past Academy president, was elected secretary.
The Academy president is elected from among the board of governors. While the Academy president can serve as many as four consecutive one-year terms, Koch‘s tenure will be limited to one year, since members of the board of governors may serve a maximum of three consecutive three-year terms, and he is currently beginning his last year as a member of the board.
The board also elected public relations branch governor Cheryl Boone Isaacs as the board‘s first vice president. While producer Kathleen Kennedy was elected as one vp post, writers branch governor Phil Robinson was elected as the second. Public relations branch governer Rob Friedman, co-chairman and CEO of Summit Entertainment, was elected treasurer. Finally, executives branch governor Robert Rehme, who was a past Academy president, was elected secretary.
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.
