International
SFFS executive director Graham Leggat dead
MUMBAI: Executive director of the San Francisco Film Society (SFFS), Graham Leggat expired yesterday after waging a 18-month battle with Cancer. He was 51.
Under his almost six-year watch at the SFFS, the operating budget grew from $2 million to $6 million; membership rose 98 per cent; ticket sales rose 62 per cent and the board of directors almost doubled from 12 to 22. He stepped down from his role at SFFS on 4 July.
During his tenure with the SFFS, Leggat also oversaw the publishing of the nation‘s only regional online film magazine, SF360.org, founded in 2006 in partnership with indieWIRE. The publication now boasts over 1,000 pieces of original arts journalism.
“Graham was fiercely proud and appreciative of his years at the Film Society and frequently referred to them as the best years of his life,” said Film Society‘s board of directors‘ president Pat McBaine.
“It‘s no accident or coincidence that those years have also been the best years in the life of the Film Society. Our board and staff are deeply saddened by the loss of our leader, colleague and friend but inspired by his example and memory to carry on his work and build on his accomplishments and vision,” he added.
He is the recipient of the 2009 International Film Festival Summit‘s Director Excellence Award. In 2001, the French consul general in San Francisco made him a Chevalier de l‘Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, in recognition of his support to cinema.
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.
