{"id":2022,"date":"2025-12-09T23:01:26","date_gmt":"2025-12-09T22:01:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.katjarestovic.com\/?p=2022"},"modified":"2026-02-28T20:27:32","modified_gmt":"2026-02-28T19:27:32","slug":"leo-amir-kazic-collaboration-with-a-charismatic-performer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.katjarestovic.com\/en\/multimedia\/music-videos\/leo-amir-kazic-collaboration-with-a-charismatic-performer\/","title":{"rendered":"LEO AMIR KAZI\u0106 \u2014 Collaboration with a Charismatic Performer"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Leo Amir Kazi\u0107 & Katja Restovi\u0107: A visual chronicle of a long-term musical collaboration and friendship<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Restovi\u0107 has directed around ten videos for Leo Amir Kazi\u0107, creating a recognisable visual continuity that follows his musical evolution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leo Amir Kazi\u0107 is a musician with a powerful voice and a distinct stage charisma, which from the very beginning influenced the visual direction of their work together. Over the years, Restovi\u0107 has directed a series of videos charting his transformation \u2014 from intimate ballads to energetic pop-rock performances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On set, he consistently brings authenticity and professional calm, creating ideal conditions for precise, emotionally clear shots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve known Leo for many years, and over the course of our long professional collaboration we\u2019ve also become genuine friends,\u201d says Katja Restovi\u0107. \u201cWhenever we are together, I feel at ease \u2014 and when we work, I feel especially good, precisely because Leo has complete trust in me and surrenders to the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He is responsible, modest, and has all those qualities I value most in people. His voice is truly special \u2014 one of the great voices in our region. There are very few artists who carry that kind of power and colour in their voice, and even fewer who remain equally polite, positive, warm and kind after so many years. Almost every one of our conversations ends with a reflection on how important it is to remain a good person and to treat others with respect, no matter what situations may throw you off balance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His positive energy is felt everywhere: at home, in the car, on set. There is never tension or hysteria \u2014 everything flows naturally. They\u2019ll have a coffee, set the frame, and he will deliver everything needed in the first or second take.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI always want singers to actually sing on set, because you can always feel playback,\u201d says Restovi\u0107. \u201cThat\u2019s why I love to \u2018tease\u2019 them a little with wind, water and various elements to draw out the emotion to the fullest \u2014 and Leo always responds to that beautifully.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI believe our first video together was Prokleta ljubav \u2014 a song he wrote himself, as an excellent author. He has written many songs for others that people don\u2019t even realise are his \u2014 but that\u2019s his story, not mine,\u201d Katja continues. \u201cWhat I can say is that we\u2019ve probably made ten or more videos together (I\u2019d have to check), and each one was special. Prokleta ljubav remains particularly dear to me: an unusual title, a strong emotion, and he performed it so sincerely that the song stays deep in your chest. There are many more like that in his repertoire.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leo is also a true grill master by profession, and Katja jokes that she has eaten so much good food at their place that she could write a separate text about it. \u201cBiba is a fantastic cook, Leo prepares superb meat, and both of them are incredibly warm, hospitable and capable in everything they do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She recalls one moment when she had written lyrics for a song that still needed music: \u201cLeo took the paper, picked up a guitar and, in front of all of us, created a hit in literally a few minutes. He set the song to music in a single breath. That\u2019s his gift \u2014 natural, powerful, unobtrusive. We\u2019ve been close for years now, and Leo is truly a good friend. I love being in his company,\u201d says Restovi\u0107.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

There are countless anecdotes. As Katja often says, she likes to \u201ctest\u201d the performers she works with \u2014 Leo has been barefoot, soaking wet, freezing, exposed to wind and intense lighting more times than she can count\u2026 yet he always calmly asks: \u201cKate, is this okay?\u201d She checks the frame, says \u201cyes\u201d \u2014 and lets him improvise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s what makes him special: he has a strong sense for acting, a natural spontaneity and ease in front of the camera. All he needs is space \u2014 and he shines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She remembers one of their more recent videos filmed in a car: \u201cThe car was being shaken from the outside, the lights were pulsing, there was constant movement, and he remained completely patient. Afterwards we just stepped out, went for a coffee, he ordered a glass of wine \u2014 he always has excellent taste and knows a lot about wine \u2014 and the atmosphere immediately relaxed. At one point a cat jumped into his lap, and he began to pet it as if it were his own.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another time, they did a split shoot \u2014 part filmed by a colleague in Zadar and part by Katja\u2019s team in Pore\u010d. A very beautiful young woman appeared in the frame, because, as Katja says, aesthetics always plays an important role in a video. \u201cLeo behaved like a true gentleman: polite, attentive, measured \u2014 a real man of manners.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

They also shot a video in the Croatian Home in Pula, with a huge ventilator blowing him around. He had to run up and down the stairs repeatedly, while Katja watched his legs on the monitor, completely unaware of how exhausting it really was.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe same thing happened with Tereza when we filmed Con te partir\u00f2 in a meadow near Pore\u010d \u2014 the shot was so beautiful that I simply couldn\u2019t cut, even though the crew kept warning me to let her rest.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar situation occurred with Severina during the shoot for \u0160afrane in a barracks in Rijeka: \u201cThe guys were doing push-ups and were already turning purple from the effort, and I was watching only the movement on the monitor, not their faces. They didn\u2019t want to show weakness in front of her, so they kept going in silence. They were adorable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd that\u2019s how it is with Leo,\u201d she concludes. \u201cSo many situations, so much laughter, so much warmth. Those memories make our collaboration not only a professional story, but a friendship I truly carry in my heart.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n