Tony Gatlif

Tony Gatlif—born Boualem Michel Dahmani (Arabic: بوعلام دحماني)—was a French director, screenwriter, composer, actor, and producer, born on September 10, 1948, in Algiers, and who died on September 2, 2026, in Arles.

Tony Gatlif was born in the suburbs of Algiers during the French colonial era into a modest family of diverse origins: his father was Kabyle, and his mother was a Gypsy of Andalusian descent. He spent his childhood in a shantytown, living life on the streets interspersed with sporadic schooling; it was there that he discovered cinema thanks to a teacher who screened films on a stretched sheet—a formative experience that captivated him and shaped his vocation. At the age of twelve, he left home, settled in Algiers, and worked as a shoeshine boy.

In the early 1960s, against the backdrop of the Algerian War and the country's independence, he moved to France, living initially in shantytowns before spending time in juvenile detention centers and hostels for young workers. His adolescence was marked by delinquency and a wandering existence between Marseille and Paris, until a pivotal 1966 encounter with actor Michel Simon encouraged him to take drama classes and pursue a career in theater. It was also during this period—following a police check—that he adopted the name Tony Gatlif, borrowing it from a public square in Algiers, while retaining his true identity as Boualem Michel Dahmani.