Cannes-winning film director Tony Gatlif dies

Tony Gatlif, the Cannes-winning filmmaker who made Roma identity and history the defining themes of his work, has died in Arles, France, at the age of 77, Le Monde reported.

Born in Algeria, Gatlif had a complex family background. His mother was a Spanish Romani, and Roma culture and history became the central subject of his films. He spent most of his life in France.

His major breakthrough came in 1993 with "Latcho Drom", an ambitious musical film that traces Roma culture through music, from its origins in India to Europe. The film features flamenco, jazz manouche and other musical forms associated with Roma culture.

Several of Gatlif's films received awards at international festivals. "Latcho Drom" won first prize in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes. In 2004, Gatlif won the festival's best director award in the main competition for "Exiles". His best-known films also include the 1997 drama "Gadjo Dilo", starring a young Romain Duris.

France's culture minister, Catherine Pégard, wrote on X that Gatlif favored unusual paths, blurred borders and lives rarely seen. She said he filmed music, movement, exile and freedom with an energy unique to him.

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Tony Gatlif had a fondness for unusual paths, for borders that blur and for lives we rarely notice. He filmed music, movement, exile and freedom with an energy that was entirely unique to him.