French film director Tony Gatlif, best known for his acclaimed 1997 film Gadjo Dilo and other works exploring Roma culture, died on 3 September in Arles, southern France, at the age of 77. His death marks the loss of one of European cinema's most distinctive voices, whose work drew heavily on his own Roma heritage and gave rare cinematic prominence to Roma stories and music. Born Michel Boualem Dahmani in Algiers in 1948 to a Kabyle father and a mother of Andalusian and Gitane descent, he overcame a poverty-stricken childhood and youthful brushes with crime before actor Michel Simon helped him gain entry to drama school in France.

Gatlif began directing in 1975 with La Tête en Ruines, later winning Cannes' Un Certain Regard prize in 1992 for the documentary Latcho Drom and the Best Director award at Cannes in 2004 for Exils. Gadjo Dilo, starring Romain Duris, premiered at Locarno in 1997 and won the Silver Leopard. His later filmography included Korkoro, The Outraged, Geronimo, Djam, Tom Medina and his final film, Ange, released in 2025.