International
AFI to give lifetime achievement to MacLaine
MUMBAI: Shirley MacLaine will be presented with the American Film Institute (AFI)‘s 40th Life Achievement Award (America‘s highest honour for a career in film) on 7 June. The elder actress will be recognized for her breadth of talents as an actress, songstress, author, director and producer.
Meryl Streep will do the honour. Incidentally, Streep, who was honoured with the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2004, played MacLaine‘s daughter in Postcards From The Edge (1990). Luminaries from across the film community will join Streep to celebrate the career of MacLaine, one of America‘s treasured motion picture artistes.
Said AFI president, CEO Bob Gazzale, "The world loves Shirley MacLaine. AFI‘s challenge will be how to fit it all into one evening because hers is a life that spans from movies to television to Broadway, books and beyond. Perhaps more than any other recipient, with Shirley I would underline the word life in Life Achievement Award. Her‘s is a story more than just movies. It‘s an epic journey, and she has invited all of us to come along for the ride."
Incidentally, both MacLaine and Streep have also won Oscar Awards. Streep was nominated a record 17 times, including for Postcards From The Edge, won her third Oscar this year for The Iron Lady. While MacLaine was nominated six times, she won the Oscar once for Terms Of Endearment (1983).
The show will air on US cable network TV Land on 24 June.
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.
