“KAMELEONI – THE BEATLES OF FORMER YUGOSLAVIA” is a musical documentary about five Slovenian teenagers from 1966, that made Tito’s Yugoslavia go “rock n roll”. Although they had only a few songs of their own, they’ve sold more than 100.000 records. As first Yugoslavian beat band, they were so popular, that they had a privilege to play in the most prominent Socialistic halls and stadiums. They had worn expensive western clothes and driven American cars. They had employed band managers, concert crews and a fan club. In 1967 they were invited in famous Milan’s Piper Club, where they’ve performed beside Jimmy Hendrix and Joan Baez. In 1968, their recordings arrived even to Apple publishing house, where they have been played to Paul McCartney. In the end of 1968, they’ve acted in cultish Yugoslavian film – Sunny Cry, by Boštjan Hladnik. For the film they have also created a sound track.
In the autumn 1969, the boys were conscripted into the army and the band had fallen apart after barely 3 years of its existence.
Kameleoni helped to liberate the whole generation of Yugoslavian youth. They were the true representatives of western music and culture, which had started to penetrate trough the Iron Curtain and chased away the post-war Yugoslavian socialistic monumentalism.
| Producer: |
Astral film |
| Director: |
Miha Čelar |
| Script: |
Miha Čelar |
| Camera: |
Marko Ružič, Igor Pafajfar – Fifi
|
| Editing: |
Matej Kolmanko
|
| Director of photography: |
Rožle Bregar |
Scriptwriter, director and head-producer
Documentary filmography:
1. SLOVENIAN SCHOOL FOR HIMALAYAN GUIDES IN NEPAL, 2000
2. FILM JURNEY OF BOŽIDAR JAKAC– Documentary, made from restored old 8 and 9-mm short films from beginning of 19-th century, 2001
4. WHO’S AFRAID OF DR. RUGELJ 2010 – Documentary of a controversial Slovene psychiatrist, 2009.
5. HITLER’S BIBLE The documentary about Nazi’s plans to establish a neo-pagan cult temple in Bled, during the WW II, 2011.
6. Creative documentary portrait A BEAUTIFUL MIND A documentary of a Slovenian bodiless psychiatrist Dr. Jože Felc, 2014.
7. TATJANA IN MOTHERLAND – Animated documentary essay about Slovenian man who are by majority mama’s boys, 2014. – Selected for 18 Int. Documentary film festivals; DOK Seeds 2015, East Silver 2015, Noida IFFF 2015 (New Delhi) -Best Editing Award, Doc and Short INFF 2015 (Jakarta) – Golden Award, Nancy Lorain IFF 2015 – Grand Prix du Festival, El Ojo Cojo IDF 2016 –Best Documental..
8. REINVENTING THE WHEEL – Crossmeda historical documentary about 5200-years-old wheel, found in Ljubljana marsh in 2004. (Short animated film, Feature documentary, comic book and APP), 2015.
9. CODELLI – Party animated documentary portrait about Slovenian inventor who in 1911 produced the first feature film ever, filmed in Africa, 2017.- IRIS 2018 -Best SLO Doku Cinematoraphy Award, Master DOC 2019–Best History Docu, Alive DOC 2018–Best History/ Biography Docu
10. GOODNIGHT, IRENE / Scriptwriter & producer; A controversial love story of Avguštin and Irene who is being unconscious for last 22 years, 2019.
11. KAMEELEONI – The Beatles of former Yugoslavia; A musical documentary about five Slovenian teenagers which made Tito’s Yugoslavia go rock n roll, 2020
12.SONS OF BORA – A story about the return of the Karst shepherd to the ancient border between man and wolf, 2021
