International
Intl Press Academy to honour VFX expert Trumbull
MUMBAI: The International Press Academy has decided to honour visual effects artist Douglas Trumbull with its Nikola Tesla Award for ‘Visionary Achievement in Filmmaking Technology‘ at its 16th annual Satellite Awards on December 18.
Trumbull, who earned a Scientific and Technical Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, for his work with the Showscan CP-65 Camera, was the special photographic effects supervisor for 1968‘s 2001: A Space Odyssey.
The Academy, comprising of foreign and domestic journalists, will present its Mary Pickford Award for outstanding contribution to the entertainment industry to Mitzi Gaynor, whose films range from There‘s No Business Like Show Business to South Pacific. Gaynor also enjoyed a career as a nightclub performer, making her Las Vegas debut at the Flamingo Hotel in 1961.
He directed 1972‘s Silent Running and 1982‘s Brainstorm. Most recently, he served as special photographic effects consultant on Terrence Malick‘s The Tree of Life.
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.
