Vinci Vogue Anžlovar, author of a 1991 hit comedy that was the first feature film released after Slovenia became independent, died this weekend aged 61, just weeks after his latest film went on general release.

Anžlovar was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis last year and appears to have died from complications associated with the disease, Slovenian media have reported.

His best known work is his 1991 debut Babica gre na jug (Grandma Goes South), a road movie about a freewheeling old lady who escapes from an elderly home to have some fun at the seaside.

The comedy would go on to become one of the most successful Slovenian films in history and has achieved cult status. Funded by a Japanese company, the film cost US$250,000 to shoot and produce, which Anžlovar said was less than a quarter of the budget of an average Slovenian film at the time.

A spin-off of the film, Grandpa Goes South, came out in 2022.

He shot six feature films in his career and the latest among them, the crime drama Tartinijev ključ (Tartini's Key), is currently in cinemas.

He also worked on multiple TV shows, documentaries, music videos and ads, composed music and was also a painter.

Born Tomaž Anžlovar, he was often seen as an enfant terrible of Slovenian cinema who did not shy away from controversy and eschewed prizes and glory in favour of connecting with viewers.

Visibly struggling to speak in his recent public appearances, he was due to make one final public appearance on 17 December, exactly 33 years after the premiere of Grandma Goes South, in the same hall in Cankarjev Dom where it premiered.

"Come see me once again - my last public appearance and my first film... Don't be afraid, I can't talk any more anyway so there will be no cussing," he wrote in an invitation to the screening.

The screening will proceed despite his death, said Cankarjev Dom, which thanked him for "all the legendary movies".