Age: 77
male
Gatlif was born in Algiers to a Kabyle father and a Romani mother. After his childhood there, Gatlif arrived in France in 1960 following the Algerian War of Independence. Gatlif struggled for years to break into the film industry, playing in several theatrical productions until directing his first film, La Tête en ruine, in 1975. He followed it with the 1979 La Terre au ventre, a story of the Algerian War of Independence. Since the 1981 Corre, gitano, Gatlif's work has been focused on the Romani people of Europe, from whom he partially traces his descent. After making Gaspard et Robinson in 1990, Gatlif spent 1992 and 1993 shooting Latcho Drom, which was awarded numerous prizes. This feature-length musical film, often mislabelled as a documentary, deals with gypsy culture throughout the world around the theme of their music and dance. For Vincent Ostria, then journalist at the Cahiers du Cinéma, it was "the most genuine film of the year (1993 editor's note)." A year later, Gatlif brought the world of the author J. M. G. Le Clézio (pen-name) to the screen in Mondo (1994). His 2004 film Exils, won the Best Director Award at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival. His film Transylvania also premiered at Cannes in May 2006.
The ninth installment of the Universal Monsters Universe and a prequel to "The Phantom of the Opera" pick. The story begins in Rouen, France during 1866, we see a woman giving birth, after the parents of the baby demand to see him they start to cry. 16 years later we see the mother, bringing food to the attic, where the deformed teenager lives. That night his father is hosting a dinner and the teen manages to escape, he steals a coat from one of the attendants. The next day he's found by a fair of traveling gypsies, they take a look at his coat, where the name "Erik" is engraved, they take him under their wing. 14 years later Erik becomes well known as "Le Mort Vivant", he's a skilled magician and illusionist, but has the dream of becoming a musician. After the Shah of Iran listens to his music, he offers him a place in his palace, Erik agrees and there he falls in love with the Shah's daughter. The Persian helps him escape to Paris, where Erik finds Madame Giry, she lets him stay in the catacombs under the Opera
