Stellan Skarsgård will be honored at the Munich International Film Festival for his achievements in the cinematic art. Stellan Skarsgard is a versatile actor, in Cannes I met him at the film reception on the Arte Boat, his latest film was coproduced by Arte. While the world premiere took place in Cannes, Stellan Skarsgard described his part at the press conference as his most complex and powerful role yet, in Joachim Trier's Cannes favorite 'Sentimental Value.'

Carlos V. Gutierrez is a film and television director whose work has won numerous awards, including the prestigious Emmy Award, and has been featured on HBO and Showtime. In the commercial world, Carlos is a highly sought after director who works on national campaigns for Turbo Tax, Princess Cruises, Exxon / Mobil, Chevy and numerous others. His commercial work for clients includes a Super Bowl commercial and PSA's that have won international recognition.

In a recent interview with Carlos, here is what he had to say:

You started your media career in advertising and won awards in that career. How did you get into advertising?

CARLOS: I was studying to be a doctor and just had one of those epiphanies where you realize you’re meant for something else. I promised my parents I would have a job before graduating from undergrad and found advertising as a great way to create and learn how productions are put together.

How was your experience studying at NYU and how did you go about making your first short films?

CARLOS: I really think film school is a personal experience (especially at the grad level). It’s what you make of it and if you’re willing to subscribe to the fact the first year is a boot camp. The staff and professors want you to vomit out all your inspirations and ideas so that you can start to develop your style so by the time you hit second year your confidence about who you are as a director grows. Not to mention I had Spike Lee mentoring me and I have to say he was instrumental in shaping me into a professional filmmaker. Once I won a few awards, my confidence really went up and I started to feel I could do this, that’s where the school and the staff are critical into helping you understand what it takes to be a professional filmmaker. 

How has your advertising career and your background influenced your filmmaking?

CARLOS: My background as a Cuban American filmmaker started with my parents who always made me feel proud to be Latino and encouraged me to never shut up about it! I really tried to put that in my films when it made sense. Advertising was a great way to learn from masters like Spike Jonze, Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu and Doug Liman all of whom I watched direct while I was still a producer. 

Do you have a favorite early project you have worked on that you are most proud of?

CARLOS: Yes, that has to be the documentary short I did on my father called Journey Into Exile where it explored his personal battles of leaving Cuba and immigrating to the US. That film won best of fest and gave me some much-needed early confidence.

You are a writer, director and producer now. Can you tell us about projects you are working on now in each role?

CARLOS: I’m always a writer first since that was what I was doing since the age of twelve when I was writing short stories that scared my mom, and before I was twenty, I was a published poet. Writing for me is therapy and is really something I love to do, it’s the only time you have full creative control. As a writer / director I have three films in various stages of casting & financing ready to film in the next twelve months not to mention a docuseries we are taking out to market that will be an umbrella project encompassing the history of Cuba. As a producer, I have two TV series with partners I am really excited about and that we are taking to market this year. 

Brief Encounters, Mumbai, screens Jafar Panahi’s This is Not a Film

Made in 2011, This is Not a Film is a genre-defying, ground-breaking film (yes, it is a film) about the reputed Iranian film-maker, Jafar Panahi, made in collaboration with one of his friends, Mojtaba Mirtahmasb, who wields the camera too. It was shot secretly in, and from, the house and building of Panahi, where he was serving a house-imprisonment sentence, for having made anti-establishment films secretly, and for supporting the revolution against the ruling Iranian clergy. The film was screened as part of a monthly screening programme, at St. Paul's Institute, in its auditorium, on the 3rd floor Alberione Hall of the St. Paul’s complex, in Bandra, Mumbai, on 14 June. The event was organised by the Bandra-based Brief Encounters platform, represented by Ms. Aparajita Sinha and her team. Attendees included film-maker O.P. Srivastava and actor-model Naseer Abdullah. 

Mojtaba Mirtahmasb

Mubi, which does not offer this film for viewing, currently, says about the film, “It’s been months since Jafar Panahi, stuck in jail, has been awaiting a verdict by the appeals court. By depicting a day in his life, Panahi and Mojtaba Mirtahmasb try to portray the deprivations looming in contemporary Iranian cinema.” “Using the barest means but inspired by their art, passion, and existence in the world, Panahi and Mirtahmasb craft a masterpiece of truth," opines Daniel Kasman, and I could not agree more. Panahi has just won the Palme d’Or (Golden Palm) at Cannes 2025, for his latest, It Was Just an Accident’.

Panahi is a screen-writer, producer, director, cinematographer and editor, who confesses that he has no knowledge of the technicalities of film-making. Yet, over the years, he has directed many a classic: The White Balloon (1995), The Mirror (1997), The Circle (2000), Crimson Gold (2003), Offside (2006), The Accordion (2010), Taxi Tehran (2015), Where Are You, Jafar Panahi? (2016), 3 Faces (2018), Hidden (2020), Life (2021) and No Bears (2022). He is among the four Iranian film-makers that have achieved overwhelming international acclaim, the others being Abbas Kiarostami, Majid Majidi and Asghar Farhadi. Panahi started as an assistant to Abbas Kiarostami. Panahi left a message on Kiarostami's answering machine, saying that he loved his films, and asked him to give him the position of an assistant director on his next film. Kiarostami hired Panahi to assist him, for the film Through the Olive Trees

Educated at the Iran Broadcasting College of Cinema and TV, 65-year-old Jafar Panahi, born to an Azerbaijani father, began his career making short films. At the age of 20, At the same age, Panahi was conscripted into the Iranian army, and served in the Iran–Iraq War, working as an army cinematographer from 1980 to 1982. In 1981, he was captured by Kurdish rebels, and held for 76 days. From his war experiences, he made a documentary that was eventually shown on TV. His debut feature, The White Balloon (1995), won the Caméra d'Or (Golden Camera) at the 1995 Cannes Film Festival. Panahi has been imprisoned multiple times in Iran, most recently for protesting the detention of film-makers criticising the authorities. This was his first visit to Cannes in 15 years, where his films have been shown in his absence due to a travel ban. The films were ‘smuggled’ to the festival venue in a pen-drive, by one of Panahi’s friends.

This is Not a Film has many moments when nothing really happens. It begins with Panahi having breakfast, and

7 Dogs: USD 40m Saudi Arabian-Egyptian film, with Salman Khan and Sanjay Dutt, releases teaser

His Excellency, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the General Entertainment Authority (GEA), Advisor Turki bin Abdul Mohsen Al-Sheikh, recently launched, via his official account on the X platform, the first teaser video for the highly anticipated action film 7 Dogs, the largest Arab production with a budget of $40 million. Starring Egyptian and Arab cinema stars Karim Abdel Aziz and Ahmed Ezz, it is directed by international directors Bilal Al-Arabi and Adel Falah, who directed the famous action film Bad Boys: Ride or Die. The film is based on an original story by His Excellency Advisor Turki Al-Sheikh and the Big Time team, and the screenplay and dialogue are by Mohammed Al-Dabbah.

The events of the movie 7 Dogs revolve around the skilled Interpol officer Khaled Al-Azzazi, who succeeds in arresting the dangerous criminal Gali Abu Daoud, a member of a secret global criminal organisation called 7 Dogs. After a year in prison, the organisation returns to its criminal activities, especially in distributing a powerful drug known as Pink Lady in the Middle East. This forces Khaled, who knows the organisation inside out, to co-operate with Ghali on a secret mission that takes them to several cities around the world, to expose the remaining members of the organisation, and prevent the drug from reaching Arab streets. Despite the differences and challenges between Khaled and Ghali, they realise that their co-operation is the key to completing this mission, forming an exceptional duo that combines cunning, intelligence, and competitiveness.

Along with A-list stars Ahmed Ezz and Karim Abdel Aziz, the film brings together an international ensemble cast including Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad, The Mandalorian), Italian Monica Bellucci (The Matrix Reloaded), Bollywood stars Salman Khan and Sanjay Dutt, German-Chinese martial arts expert Max Huang (Mortal Kombat), alongside stars Tara Emad (The Blue Elephant 2) and Sandy Bella (Franklin) as two officers on the Interpol team. Meanwhile, Saudi star Nasser Al Qasabi appears as Major General Nasser, facing off against Egyptian veteran Sayed Ragab as Major General Sabry, promising a cinematic epic that blends Hollywood suspense with an Arab pulse, amidst an unprecedented international cast in the region.

Filming for 7 Dogs began in Riyadh earlier this year, marking the first film to be shot entirely at Big Time Studios, the newest and largest film and drama production facility in the Middle East. These studios offer the latest technology and the most advanced capabilities, giving the film a global cinematic feel. Additionally, key scenes will be shot on Riyadh Boulevard, transforming Riyadh into a global backdrop representing major cities such as Mumbai, Shanghai, and several other global cities, enhancing the film's epic international appeal.

The film is sponsored by the General Entertainment Authority (GEA) and Riyadh Season, produced by Sila Productions and executive produced by Black Bear Productions. The screenplay is written by Mohammed Al-Dabbah, known for his successful works such as Ruby House. The film is being produced by Evan Atkinson, who has directed acclaimed works such as The Covenant and The Gentlemen.

Robrecht Heyvaert, celebrated for his visually stunning work in Bad Boys: Ride or Die and Ms. Marvel, leads the project as Director of Photography. Paul Kirby, known for his exceptional production design on Kingsman: The Secret Service and Captain Phillips, brings his visionary talent to the proj