International
Life of Pi to open New York Fest; Nicole Kidman to be honoured
MUMBAI: Ang Lee‘s Life of Pi will be the opening film of the New York Film Festival. With this, it will be the first time ever that a 3D movie has been chosen to open the festival.
Another notable thing that is going to happen at the festival would be that Oscar-winning star Nicole Kidman would be honoured by the festival authorities.
Said festival director Richard Pena, “Nicole Kidman is one of the finest contemporary actresses. Since her breakthrough performance in To Die For and her bold and provocative appearances in Lars Von Trier‘s Dogville, Stanley Kubrick‘s Eyes Wide Shut, her award-winning portrayal of Virginia Wolf in Stephen Daldry‘s The Hours, the actress has been demanding complex, bold and demanding roles for herself. We are excited to honor her with a tribute at the New York Film Festival.”
Being dubbed as one of film‘s finest contemporary actresses, the actress will be honoured with a gala tribute at the event on October 3.
The New York Film Festival will get underway from 28 September, will close on 14 October.
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.
