DJ AHMET
(Original Title: null)
Macedonia (2025) 99 mins.
Genre: Comedy
Directors/writers: Georgi M. Unkovski
Cast: Ahmet (Arif Jakup), Dora Akan Zlatanova (Aya)
Screening 9 December 2026 at Swindon Arts Centre
Synopsis
15-year-old Ahmet, from a remote village in North Macedonia, finds refuge in music while navigating his father’s expectations, a conservative community, and his first experience with love – a girl already promised to someone else…
Reviews
Music is a form of escape for 15-year-old Ahmet and his younger brother Naim, who radiate joy as they dance together whenever they get the chance. The pair live with their grieving father and, following his mother’s death, Ahmet has had to quit school to help his dad with the sheep. Naim has stopped speaking, leading their father to regularly take him to the local healer.
Local girl Aya, also uses music as an escape. She has been brought back to the village from Germany for an undesired arranged marriage to an older man.
The Hollywood Reporter lauded the “solid naturalistic performances” of the film’s cast, with particular attention to Arif Jakup, and stated it “has a slick, crowd-pleasing quality that could entice streamers or select distributors.
The film playfully critiques certain Muslim customs, but never in a demeaning way, while providing a heartwarming coming-of-age narrative that’s a tad predictable.
Film Facts
- The film had its world premiere at the World Cinema Competition section of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival on 23 January, where it won the section’s Audience Award.