Sasa Petrovic is one of the Yugoslav Black Wave’s older and most important directors. As a cinematic poet, Petrovic’s work broke barriers and provoked authoritative figures. Sometimes too much, which cost him professionally and privately but we’ll get to that later.
First, let’s start from his beginnings and address Aleksandar Petrovic’s inception.
The Beginnings of Sasa Petrovic
Petrovic began as an assistant director for Vladimir Pogacic in two of his films, “The Factory Story” (1949) and “The Last Day” (1951). Like most directors, Sasa began making short movies. He made his first several films with Vicko Raspor, which also included one full-length film, “The Only Way Out” (1958). The short movies are “Uz druga je drug” (1955), “Flight Above the Marshes” (1956), and “Petar Dobrovic” (1958).
After these collaborations, Petrovic began making movies on his own, including his first full-length and major success, “And Love Has Vanished” (1961). He was nominated for the Palme d’Or at the 1962 Cannes Film Festival.
Domestic Work of Aleksandar Sasa Petrovic
Along with his Black Wave companions, including Dusan Makavejev, Zika Pavlovic, and Zelimir Zilnik, Petrovic made a cinematic boom, both at home and abroad.
Since he made “And Love Has Vanished,” Saša Petrović didn’t have almost one bad movie. “Three” and “I Even Met Happy Gypsies” were nominated at the Academy Awards. There’s an anecdote about “Three” at The Oscars, although not a pleasant one. The announcer said the wrong name, and for a second or two, Sasa Petrovic thought he won.
“I Even Met Happy Gypsies” is considered the first film that presented Gypsies in their everyday life and the first full-length in Roma language. Most of the cast are Gypsies, although the main role is played by Bekim Fehmiu.
Like most film masters, his next movie, “It Rains in My Village,” was also a huge success. Nominated once again for the Palme d’Or, Petrovic’s inspiration for this movie was from Dostoevsky’s “The Possessed.”
Political Issues and Aleksandar Petrovic’s Exile
Sasa Petrovic was now at the peak of his power. Unfortunately, political problems began to occur.
Petrovic was fired from the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in 1973. The main reason, or the one that was the final catalyst, was bizarre. He gave the highest grade to Lazar Stojanovic’s student film, “Plastic Jesus,” which the government considered anti-communist. Moreover, Stojanovic was sent to prison for three years. Furthermore, the Secret Service filed a lawsuit against Aleksandar Petrovic and took his passport. Luckily, he didn’t go to prison, however, he got the signal to leave the country, so he went to France.
If you want to find out more, I suggest you buy Vlastimir Sudar’s book about Aleksandar Sasa Petrovic.
Sasa Petrovic’s Work from Abroad
Sadly, Petrovic couldn’t work as smoothly as before and had to begin an entirely new life. The only advantage was that he was born in Paris.
Of course, he didn’t stop and wrote texts and screenplays for others. He also left several screenplays for which he wanted to make movies. Unfortunately, all of his ideas and projects couldn’t be made since Petrovic had to find money personally. In the meantime, he was forbidden from working in Yugoslavia for 18 years. A movie that he was able to make abroad was “Group Portrait with a Lady” in 1977.
After spending years abroad and being put aside, in 1989, Petrovic became one of the first intellectuals against new leader Slobodan Milosevic. He was also one of the founders of the Democratic Party but later left and joined the Serbian Liberal Party.
Aleksandar Sasa Petrovic Movies
Here’s a list of some of the best movies directed by Aleksandar Petrovic:
- “I Even Met Happy Gypsies” (Skupljači perja) – 1967
- “Three” (Tri) – 1965
- “Il Maestro e Margherita” (The Master and Margaret) – 1972
- “And Love Has Vanished” (Dvoje) – 1961
- “It Rains in My Village” (Bice skoro propast sveta) – 1968
- “Days” (Dani) – 1963
- “Gruppenbild mit Dame” (Group Portrait with a Lady) – 1977
- “Migrations” (Seobe) – 1989
- “Migrations II” (Seobe II) – 1989
- “The Only Way Out” (Jedini Izlaz) – 1958
- “Flight Above the Marshes” (Let nad mocvarom) – 1956
- “Minutes” (Zapisnik) – 1964
- “Petar Dobrovic” – 1958
Aleksandar Petrović Awards
Here’s a list of some of the most important events and festivals where his movies were nominated for and/or won film awards.
- Cannes Film Festival
- The Oscars
- Golden Globes
- Chicago International Film Festival
- Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
- Pula Film Festival of Yugoslavian Films
- Thessaloniki Film Festival
- Serbian Film Festival
Petrović was also a jury member at the Berlin International Film Festival in 1967. He received the “Ordre des Arts et des Lettres” from the French Minister of Culture, André Malraux, in 1969. Even seven of his films are listed in the 100 Serbian Films of Cultural Significance list, made in 2016.
Final Thoughts on Aleksandar Sasa Petrovic
Aleksandar Petrovic is one of the most significant directors ever. Who knows how many more films he could have filmed if he hadn’t had to leave his native country? On the other hand, he wouldn’t have made the movies he made if he had been born elsewhere. Despite everything, he remains a master and one of the directors who addressed Balkan topics perfectly.
Sasa Petrovic remains a cinematic poet whose movies transcend form and send powerful messages. If you are interested in other directors and film movements, here’s a list of my blog posts!
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