International
IFFLA to screen Paan Singh Tomar
MUMBAI: The Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA) will celebrate its 10th year anniversary this year with the screening of Tigmanshu Dhulia‘s Paan Singh Tomar in the festival that will run from 10 to 15 April.
Paan Singh Tomar is the real-life story of Paan Singh Tomar, a seven-time national champion athlete and Army jawan who became one of India‘s most infamous bandits. The film stars Bollywood favorites Irrfan Khan, Mahi Gill, Vipin Sharma, Imran Hasnee and Nawazuddin Siddiqui.
The fest is also introducing a Family Day to this year‘s event line-up. This year, 14 April will mark the debut of IFFLA‘s new Family Day. “This year, as part of our ongoing commitment to provide a complete festival experience, IFFLA is excited to create a day of family fun and activities for adults and children alike. Our addition of a Family Day is a perfect complement to the screenings of GATTU and WATCH INDIAN CIRCUS. We want to invite everyone to join us at ArcLight Hollywood to celebrate Indian cinema and to connect those who may not have experienced India‘s rich heritage,” said IFFLA Board member Carla Sanders.
Family Day fun begins with the screening of Rajan Khosa‘s acclaimed film Gattu that garnered a special mention at the 2012 Berlin Film Festival.Following the screening a series of free events in the courtyard of ArcLight Hollywood which includes Story Time hosted by Parvesh Cheena (of Outsourced fame) who will read Gita Wolf‘s award-winning children‘s classic The Very Hungry Lion. Arts and Crafts hour which will be led by Los Angeles teachers and artists will culminate with a Bollywood dance lesson for the entire crowd.
Also free to festival-goers will be the addition of ‘From Script to Screen: The Making Of Patang. The film, the festival‘s closing night film, took years to get from script to screen and this discussion would be an intimate talk about that journey.
This year‘s 5th edition of Rhythm Village will feature a special commemorative event on 12 April at the Supper Club in Hollywood. The IFFLA Rhythm Village Anniversary Party will feature live performances by Bhangra superstar Jassi Sidhu, world music stars Bombay Dub Orchestra, the eclectic fusion band Elephants With Guns and DJ sets by DJ Ben G, and Doc Bladez.
On 13 April, Rhythm Village will move back to its traditional home at the ArcLight Hollywood courtyard for two days. The outdoor musical program promises to entertain audiences with world-class musicians, enchanting singer-songwriters, eclectic fusion bands, groovy DJ sets, and a variety of captivating dance forms. There will be a live dance lesson by contemporary Indian dance pioneer Achinta McDaniel of the Blue 13, on Saturday April 14th in the courtyard.
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.
