International
Precious bags six Image awards
MUMBAI: Precious that has been inspired by the novel ‘Push by Sapphire bagged six awards yesterday night at the 41st NAACP Image Awards in Los Angeles.
Oscar aspirants Gabourey Sidibe and Mo‘Nique took home best actress and best supporting actress prizes respectively while director Lee Daniels and screenwriter Geoffrey Fletcher also annexed awards.
Precious that chronicles an abused, illiterate teen‘s steps towards independence and self-confidence, completed its Image Awards run with prizes for both outstanding motion picture and outstanding independent motion picture.
On the TV side, Tyler Perry‘s House of Payne was named outstanding comedy series garnered acting honours for lead actress Cassi Davis and also the supporting players Lance Gross and Keshia Knight Pulliam.
The TNT original movie Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story won multiple honors including outstanding TV movie, mini-series or dramatic special and acting honours for leads Cuba Gooding Jr. and Kimberly Elise.
Other winners of the evening included Chris Rock‘ documentary Good Hair; Grey‘s Anatomy‘s; singers Maxwell, Mary J. Blige and newcomer Keri Hilson and actors Daryl Mitchell for Brothers, Hill Harper for CSI:NY, Jada Pinkett Smith for HawthoRNe, Delroy Lindo for Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and S. Epatha Merkerson for Law & Order.
The NAACP Image Awards celebrate the accomplishments of people of colour working in the fields of literature, music, television and film. Special honours were given to Tyler Perry, Wyclef Jean, music exec Clarence Avant and activist Van Jones.
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.
