International
Malibu Fest honors Director Mary Lambert
NEW DELHI: Renowned director Mary Lambert has been honoured with a Cinematic Environmentalist Award at the 12th Annual Malibu International Film Festival during its Opening Night directly after the screening of her documentary Miss South Pacific: Beauty and the Sea.
The film not only follows the 2009-2010 Miss South Pacific Pageant, but also tells the story of various Pacific Island countries and how they have been affected by climate change.
While Lambert first gained attention as a director in the music video world, she is best known for her work in features (Pet Sematary, Pet Sematary 2, Siesta) and has directed a wide range of television projects for major networks.
Lambert accepted in hopes of spreading her film‘s message – one that, according to Lambert, needs to be heard.
Fellow environmental activists and personal friends Pierce and Keely Brosnan presented the Award.
Miss South Pacific kicked off the Opening Night of the Festival with a screening at Malibu Cinemas. After the presentation of Lambert‘s Award, the evening continued with an introduction by Pierce Brosnan for the romantic comedy feature Kissing Strangers directed by David Katz (Film and Television Producer, Malibu Film Festival Founder).
The Opening Night Films were sponsored by Keely Brosnan, Pierce Brosnan, Kym Gold, Babakul, Dianne Burnett, the Joan Valentine Foundation, Kanner Sisters Productions, and Marty Katz Productions.
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.
