International
Ten films by newcomers to compete in Busan
New Delhi: Ten films are to feature in the New Currents Competition in South Korea‘s Busan International Film Festival next month.
The section in the Festival from 4 to 13 October is for first- and second-time directors. This year‘s selection comprises films by an unusual number of first-time directors.
The lineup includes two films from South Korea and two from Taiwan, and one film apiece from Thailand, Philippines, India and Japan, in addition to two titles – within the festivals‘s broad definition of Asia – from Iraq and Lebanon.
The Korean films are coming-of-age drama Fatal in which “sin, conscience and accountability take center stage”, and Your Time is Up about the “living avenging the dead”.
From Taiwan, Chang Rong-ji‘s Touch of the Light is about the relationship between a blind pianist and a female dance student. It is joined by another first feature, Hsu Chao-jen’s ensemble drama Together.
Thai scriptwriter Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit is taking 36 which “examines the power of memory to create reality” after a hard drive crash destroys a year worth of photographs.
The Philippines‘ Vincent Sandoval is presenting his second film Apparition which is about an “act of brutal violence that shatters a convent‘s cloistered tranquility”. Its selection had already been announced in domestic media.
India‘s Filmistaan features “a kidnapped Indian production grunt who bonds with his Pakistani captors over their shared love of Bollywood”. From Japan, The Town of Whales is about a high-school student‘s quest for her missing brother.
BUSAN IFF‘S NEW CURRENTS COMPETITION 2012
• 111 Girls; dirs. Nahid Ghobadi & Bijan Zmanpira [Iraq]
• 36; dir. Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit [Thailand]
• Apparition; dir. Vincent Sandoval [Philippines]
• Fatal; dir. Lee Don-ku [South Korea]
• Filmstaan; dir. Nitin Kakkar [India]
• Kayan; dir. Maryam Najafi [Canada/Lebanon]
• The Town of Whales; dir. Tsuruoka Keiko [Japan]
• Together; dir. Hsu Chao-jen [Taiwan]
• Touch of the Light; dir. Chang Rong-ji [Taiwan]
• Your Time is Up; dir. Kim Sung-hyun [South Korea]
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.
