International
Warner Bros campaigns for Deathly Hallows Part 2 at Academy
MUMBAI: As part of the promotion of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 at the Oscars, Warner Bros has launched a campaign to have the film recognized at the Academy Awards.
In the decade since their inception, Harry Potter movies have made around 5 billion pounds and won critical acclaim but an Oscar has always eluded them.
Warner Bros is now making one last push to break the spell by lobbying Academy voters to nominate Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 in a dozen categories including best picture and best director.
It is also trying to get Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson nominated in the best actor and actress categories respectively.
The most likely chance of success comes in the best supporting actor category with Alan Rickman‘s performance as Professor Severus Snape
Till date, Harry Potter films have been nominated for nine Oscars but have failed to win any. The categories for which the films have been nominated include best art direction, best score and best cinematography. The studio is running special trailers and advertising campaigns in the film‘s honour.
The ballot closes on January 13 and the nominations will be announced on January 24.
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.
