Archive of films Color of the Chameleon / Tsvetat na hameleona
Bulgaria
2012, 114 min
Section:
Variety's Ten Euro Directors to Watch
Year: 2013
This darkly comic evocation of communist absurdities circa 1989 follows the fortunes of an amoral opportunist and his initially state-decreed, later self-mandated adventures in surveillance. Helmer Christov creates an alternate reality that juxtaposes Kafkaesque bureaucratic illogic with murderous whimsy.
Synopsis
This darkly comic evocation of communist absurdities circa 1989 follows the fortunes of an amoral, almost Tom Ripley-esque opportunist and his initially state-decreed, later self-mandated adventures in surveillance. Based on scriptwriter Vladislav Todorov’s novel Zincograph, referenced within the film as a key underground text, this debut feature from Bulgarian helmer Emil Christov creates an alternate reality that juxtaposes Kafkaesque bureaucratic illogic with the murderous whimsy of an off-the-wall freelancer. Composed as a series of surreal shocks, it rapidly changes tones alongside its fearlessly imitative hero. Batka (Ruscen Vidinliev) is recruited by the secret police to gather intel on a weirdo group of "new thinkers,” where counterintuitive feminism and vaginal speculums hold sway. But Batka’s imagination soars far beyond the confines of his role.
About the director
Emil Christov (b. 1956, Sofia) studied cinematography at Bulgaria’s National Academy for Theater and Film Arts and has worked as a director of photography on feature films (including The World Is Big and Salvation Is Around the Corner / Svetat e goljam e spasenije debna otvsjakade, 2008; screened at Karlovy Vary), documentaries, and music videos – nearly 30 in all. The Color of the Chameleon is his directing debut.
Contacts
Peripeteia
"Samokov" 80, bl.306, apt. 57, 1113, Sofia
Bulgaria
Tel: +359 893 766 969
E-mail: [email protected]
www: www.peripeteiafilms.com
About the film
Color, 35 mm
Section: | Variety's Ten Euro Directors to Watch |
---|---|
Director: | Emil Christov |
Screenplay: | Vladislav Todorov based on his novel / podle vlastního románu Zincograph |
Dir. of Photography: | Krum Rodriguez |
Music: | Nikolay Madzharov |
Editor: | Alexander Etimov |
Producer: | Vladislav Todorov, Bouriana Zakharieva |
Production: | Peripeteia |
Cast: | Ruscen Vidinliev, Irena Milyankova, Rousy Chanev, Samuel Finzi, Svetlana Yancheva |
Contact: | Peripeteia |
Guests
Emil Christov
Film Director