International
Soderbergh signals retirement from films
MUMBAI: Steven Soderbergh, known for his films like Sex, Lies & Videotape and Erin Brockovich among others has signaled that he would quit doing films after his next two.
“When you reach the point where you‘re like, ‘If I have to get into a van to do another scout, I‘m just going to shoot myself,‘ it‘s time to let somebody else who‘s still excited about getting in the van, get in the van,” Soderbergh is quoted to have said.
“And so it‘s just time. For the last three years, I‘ve been turning down everything that comes my way, so you‘re not going to have Steven Soderbergh to kick around anymore. … When you see those athletes hang on one or two seasons too long, it‘s kind of sad,” he added.
Other films of Soderbergh include Out of Sight, Traffic, The Good German, Che, The Informant! and both the sequels of Ocean‘s Eleven.
According to the noted directed his last two films will be Liberace and Man From U.N.C.L.E.
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.
