Aleksandar Petrović (film director)

Aleksandar "Saša" Petrović (14 January 1929 – 20 August 1994) was a Yugoslav and Serbian film director who was one of the leading European directors in the 1960s and one of the major figures of the Yugoslav Black Wave. Two of his films were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film: Three in 1966[1] and I Even Met Happy Gypsies (Feather Gatherers) in 1967.[2] The latter (original title "Skupljaci perja") was the first movie that presented the existence of Gypsies in society and everyday life; it was also the first full-feature film where Gypsies spoke their own language, Roma. Most roles were interpreted by real Gypsies; this was their movie. "As a child, I observed them and saw in these people faith and irrationality," said Petrović[3] I Even Met Happy Gypsies won the FIPRESCI Prize and the Grand Prize of the Jury at the Cannes Film Festival; it also received a nomination for a Golden Globe.[4] In 1967 Petrović was a member of the jury at the 17th Berlin International Film Festival.[5]

Aleksandar Petrović
Petrović in 1987
Born	14 January 1929 Paris, France
Died	20 August 1994 (aged 65) Paris, France
Other names	Aleksandar Sacha Petrovitch
Occupation	Film director and screenwriter
Years active	1955–1989
Awards	Cannes Palme d'Or Pula Golden Arena for Best Director 1965 Three 1967 I Even Met Happy Gypsies 1972 The Master and Margaret
Website	www.aleksandarpetrovic.org

One of his most famous films is It Rains in My Village. Petrović found inspiration for this film in Fyodor Dostoyevsky's novel The Possessed.[6] The film was nominated for a Palme d'Or (Golden Palm) at the 1969 Cannes Film Festival[7]

In 1973, Petrović was forced to leave his post at the Belgrade Film Academy after being accused of holding anti-communist views by the communist government of Yugoslavia. In late December 1989, he joined the founding committee of the Democratic Party in Serbia, the first opposition anti-communist party in Serbia.[8]

Petrović published several hundreds of articles and several books, including Novi film I: 1960-1965 and Novi film II: Crni film (1965-1970).[9]

Filmography

Feature films
Year	Film	Other notes
1958	The Only Way Out ("The Only Exit") (Jedini izlaz)	Director
1961	And Love Has Vanished ("When Love Has Gone") (Dvoje)	Director, writer Nominated—Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival
1963	Days (Dani)	Director
1965	Three (Tri)	Director, writer Pula Big Golden Arena for Best Yugoslav Film Pula Golden Arena for Best Director Nominated—Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
1967	I Even Met Happy Gypsies (Skupljači perja)	Director, writer Pula Big Golden Arena for Best Yugoslav Film Pula Golden Arena for Best Director Nominated—Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film Nominated—Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival
1968	It Rains in My Village (Biće skoro propast sveta)	Director, writer Nominated—Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival
1972	The Master and Margaret (Majstor i Margarita)	Director, Based on the novel by Mikhail Bulgakov writer in collaboration with Barbara Alberti, Amedeo Pagani Pula Big Golden Arena for Best Yugoslav Film Pula Golden Arena for Best Director
1977	Group Portrait with a Lady (Grupni portret s damom)	Director, writer after the novel by Nobel prize winner Heinrich Böll, Nominated—Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival
1981	The Falcon (Banović Strahinja)	Writer only
1989	Migrations (Seobe)	Director, writer in collaboration with Jacques Doniol-Valcroze

Documentaries and short films
Year	Film	Other notes
1955	SHOULDER TO SHOULDER ("Side by side") (UZ DRUGA JE DRUG)	Director
1956	FLIGHT OVER THE SWAMP ("Flight Above The Marshes") (LET NAD MOČVAROM)	Director
1957	PETAR DOBROVIĆ	Director
1958	THE ROADS (PUTEVI)	Director
1960	THE WAR ON WAR (War Against The War") (RAT RATU)	Director
1964	RECORD ("The Data") (ZAPISNIK)	Director
1965	ASSEMBLIES ("Fairs") (SABORI)	Director

References

1. "The 39th Academy Awards (1967) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Retrieved 2011-11-09.
2. "The 40th Academy Awards (1968) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Retrieved 2011-11-12.
3. "Biography - Aleksandar Petrovic".
4. "Winners & Nominees 1968". Archived from the original on 2013-04-14. Retrieved 2018-10-09.
5. "Berlinale 1967: Juries". berlinale.de. Archived from the original on 29 March 2010. Retrieved 2010-02-27.
6. hr:Bit će skoro propast svijeta
7. "BICE SKORO PROPAST SVETA".
8. Vlastimir Sudar, "A Portrait of the Artist as a Political Dissident: The Life and Work of Aleksandar Petrović" (Bristol: Intellect, 2013; ISBN 978-1-84150-545-9)
9. Đerić, Zoran (2009). Poetika srpskog filma. Banja Luka: Besjeda. p. 374.

External links

• Official Website aleksandarpetrovic.org
• Aleksandar Petrović at IMDb
• Aleksandar Petrović at AllMovie
• Profile of Aleksandar Petrović and one of his leading films in English
• Short biographical profile from the New York Times
• Profile of Aleksandar-Saša Petrović and his most well known film “I Even Met Happy Gypsies”