International
New territories opening up for Indian content
HONG KONG: The Indian presence at Filmart has largely been on the distributor side. A number of small Indian companies essentially into selling of film, video and TV rights across cable and terrestrial platforms (both pay and FTA) were advertising their wares. One did not see many big blockbuster Bollywood titles however, but more of the small to mid-level budget films.
And it is not just in the “traditional” markets of Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore (in that order) that these companies are trying to push their content. Aside from China and Korea, also on the radar are “virgin” territories like Cambodia and Vietnam.
The Chinese interest is more on the film side than TV content. Predictably Indian action films have no takers (who in India can compete with a John Woo, Andy Lau or the numerous Kung Fu film directors anyway). Romantic tearjerkers (the higher the hankie quotient the better) are what does it for the Chinese as far as India is concerned. And they are quite taken up with the song and dance routines, which are unique to Indian cinema.
Korea, on the other hand is looking at the issue differently. They are hoping to sell their content to India in fact. In fact a Korean delegation is planning to organise an event in Delhi in May where they will be showcasing their content, particularly television, which is quite a rage in these parts.
While Indiantelevision.com remains skeptical of Korean stories (soaps and dramas) finding acceptance to Indians who only relate to Chinese action movies, there is one avenue that might interest Indian entertainment channels. That is in the scripts that Korean television dramas offer. If South American stories are the current flavour with programming honchos in India, those looking to explore new ideas might find it worth their while to look east as well.
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.
