International
Matthew Perry honoured at White House for drug court advocacy
MUMBAI: Friends star Matthew Perry received the Champion of Recovery award from US drug czar Gil Kerlikowske, The Hollywood Reporter reported.
Perry is no stranger to the White House; he played one of the president‘s counsels on The West Wing or, for that matter, to politics, since his Canadian mother was Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau‘s press secretary.
The comedy actor was honoured not only for his outspoken support of president Barack Obama‘s effort to make rehabilitation-centered local drug courts a key component of the nation‘s approach to combating addiction, but also for his upfront discussion of his own experience with prescription drug addiction and recovery.
The certificate of appreciation lauds the actor for "giving a voice to the millions of Americans in recovery." Perry called the ONDCP honor "surreal." "During my darkest times, I never could have imagined receiving an award at the White House," he told.
Perry became hooked on prescription painkillers, which he frequently mixed with alcohol during the height of his success as part of the ensemble cast of the hit TV show Friends. After two trips to recovery, he had become a frequent public speaker on the perils of prescription drugs, national drug policy and his own experience with recovery.
"Over time, I learned that drug courts are a wonderful solution to one of the biggest problems facing our criminal justice system: people suffering from substance-use disorders who are caught in the cycle of arrest and incarceration," Perry wrote in the post that appeared on the White House website.
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.
