International
Stephen Frears to get European Film Academy Lifetime Achievement award in Berlin
LONDON: Stephen Frears, director of films like Dangerous Liaisons, The Hi-Lo Country, and The Queen is to will receive this year‘s European Film Academy Lifetime Achievement Award for his outstanding and dedicated body of work.
“I don‘t know what to say,” Frears said on getting the news.
Having already received various awards like the Spanish Goya, the French César and the British Bafta, he said, “Well, they‘re always nice – if you get them,” and added: “But I‘m very grateful, it‘s very nice to be complimented by Europe.”
The director remembered his long relationship with the European Film Academy: “I was there when it was founded; I came flying back from the Oscars to get there.”
“Of course, I‘m never quite sure whether England is part of Europe. We‘re divided about this and have complicated feelings,” he said, adding: “But what matters is to keep European film going! And I‘m totally committed to that. Nothing else matters. If the films are good, then people will go and see them.”
Frears will be an honorary guest at the 24th European Film Awards Ceremony on 3 December 2011 in Berlin.
Having begun his career in British television, Frears made his breakthrough in 1985 with My Beautiful Launderette. Earning him nominations for the Oscar and Bafta, the film was based on a screenplay by Hanif Kureish with whom he collaborated again in 1987 for Sammy and Rosie Get Laid. Frears then made the Joe Orton biopic Prick Up Your Ears (1987) and Dangerous Liaisons (1988), which won three Oscars, two Bafta and a French César for the director.
Among his other films are The Grifters (1990), Mary Reilly (1996), The Hi-Lo Country (1998), High Fidelity (2000), Dirty Pretty Things (2003), Mrs Henderson Presents (2005), and Tamara Drewe (2010). His film The Queen (2006) was a major international success; it was nominated for virtually every award there is and won the Spanish Goya as well as an Oscar, Golden Globe and European Film Award for Helen Mirren.
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.
