International
Sony Classics acquires US rights of Mother and Child
MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Classics has acquired the United States rights of Rodrigo García‘s Mother and Child from WME Global.
The film debuted at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival, where it was actively pursued by several US distributors.
The deal actually came together shortly after Toronto but took some time to close and marks yet another late buy out of the festival where at the time few deals actually took place.
Mother and Child stars Annette Bening, Naomi Watts, Samuel L. Jackson and Kerry Washington in three parallel stories that come together to emphasis the bond between mother and child.
“We have known Rodrigo García for a long time,” said Sony Pictures Classics jointly in a statement, “first as the cinematographer of ‘Mi Vida Loca‘ in the early ‘90s, then as a writer and director, and have always been impressed with his incredible skill at creating roles for actors, especially for women.
“With Mother and Child, Rodrigo has managed to define characters that allow for career best performances for all of the actors he has cast in a film that we feel will connect with people all over the US We are excited to be working with him, his remarkable cast and his producers Julie Lynn and Lisa Maria Falcone.”
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.
