Ion Popescu Gopo

Ion Popescu Gopo, a famous cartoon creator, never got to see the new wave of cinema in Romania. He died in 1989, just before the fall of the Communist period. He stayed in the memory of Romanians however for his cartoon character, nicknamed Gopo’s little man, which got him several international prizes. One of his animations was awarded at Cannes in 1957. He is also the director of a famous children’s film, Maria Mirabela, from 1981. The local film awards are called the Gopo awards in his honor.