DJ Ahmet

A charming coming-of-age story about finding your place in a world where tradition and modernity collide. Like many 15-year-old boys, Ahmet dreams of something more. Living in a remote village in North Macedonia, he’s tasked with tending to the family’s sheep while his father seeks treatment for his five-year-old brother, Naim, who hasn’t spoken since their mother’s death. So when the music-loving teen stumbles upon a forest rave – and his alluring neighbour, Aya, with her own dreams of escape – his world is opened up. The debut feature from US-born, Macedonian-raised director Georgi M. Unkovski, DJ Ahmet won the Special Jury Award for Creative Vision in Sundance’s World Cinema Dramatic Competition. The film radiates with an infectious energy, propelled by the performances of local actor Arif Jakup as Ahmet and the expressive young Agush Agushev as Naim. Thoughtfully showcasing the contrast between the expectations of tradition and the temptations of the internet – not least through its memorable soundtrack – DJ Ahmet is for anyone who’s ever felt at odds with their place in society, or yearned to be the shepherd, not the sheep. “An unforgettable ensemble, laugh-out-loud comedy and heartsore drama … delightfully humorous and unpretentiously stylish.” – Variety