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I Even Met Happy Gypsies

I Even Met Happy Gypsies is a 1967 Yugoslavian film by Serbian director Aleksandar Petrović. Its original Serbian title is Skupljači perja, which means The Feather Gatherers. The movie is based on Gypsies' Roma life in a village in northern Vojvodina, but it deals with more profound themes such as love, etnic and social relationships. Beside Bekim Fehmiu, Olivera Vučo, Velimir Živojinović and Miodrag Aleksić, film features a cast of Roma actors speaking the Romani language. The Feather Gatherers is considered as one of the best films of so called Black Wave in Yugoslav cinematography.

Plot

The protagonist, Bora (Bekim Fehmiu), is a charming but mean-spirited gypsy, while his older wife, Lence (Olivera Vučo), is submissive. Bora is in love with the younger Tisa (Gordana Jovanović), who is being offered in marriage by her father. The two get themselves in trouble and eventually have to flee. Tisa rejects her husband and she and Bora get married in the mountains. Tisa tries to get to Belgrade, while Bora kills a man in a knife fight. They are both, therefore, exiled from their gypsy camp, yet their adventures continue.

Awards

At the 1967 Cannes Film Festival, it was nominated for the Palme d'Or and won the Special Grand Prize of the Jury and the FIPRESCI Prize. The film was nominated for the 1968 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and for the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign-Language Film. Bekim Fehmiu also won a Golden Arena award for Best Actor at the 1966 Pula Film Festival for his portrayal of Bora.

Cast

• Bekim Fehmiu as Bora
• Olivera Vučo as Lence
• Bata Živojinović as Mirta
• Gordana Jovanović as Tisa
• Mija Aleksić as Pavle

Rest of cast listed alphabetically:

• Severin Bijelić as Bigoted man
• Stojan Decermić as Hladnjaca driver 1
• Milivoje Đorđević as Sandor
• Rahela Ferari as Igumanija
• Etelka Filipovski as Bora's wife
• Milorad Jovanović as Toni
• Zoran Longinović as Islednik 1
• Branislav-Ciga Milenković
• Bozidar Pavičević-Longa as Hladnjaca driver 2
• Velizar Petrović
• Djordje Pura Islednik 2
• Nina Sajin
• Milivoje Tomić as Romanian
• Janez Vrhovec as judge

See also

• List of Yugoslavian films

External links

• I Even Met Happy Gypsies at the Internet Movie Database
• I Even Met Happy Gypsies at Allmovie