{"id":1850798,"date":"2026-04-03T11:01:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-03T08:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1850798"},"modified":"2026-04-03T11:01:00","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T08:01:00","slug":"dj-ahmet-a-coming-of-ager-about-an-edm-obsessed-teen-sheep-farmer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1850798","title":{"rendered":"DJ Ahmet, a coming-of-ager about an EDM-obsessed teen sheep farmer"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1200\/462-0-1858-1239\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/2\/1442668.jpg&#8221;]<\/p>\n<article class=\"main-article standard \">\n<div class=\"article-main-content article-wrapper has-media-but-its-an-image\" data-status=\"loaded\" data-primary-article=\"true\" data-url=\"\/film-tv\/article\/70000\/1\/dj-ahmet-a-coming-of-ager-about-an-edm-obsessed-teen-sheep-farmer\" data-article-id=\"70000\">\n<header class=\"article-header has-landscape-image no-media\">\n<div class=\"wrapper dg-max-width\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<figure class=\"main-img has-figcaption\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"2.42\" data-template=\"Standard Article\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"DJ Ahmet\" class=\"img\" height=\"1239\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1400\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/2\/1442668.jpg\" width=\"3000\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"inner\"><span class=\"credit\">DJ Ahmet<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<aside class=\"meta\">\n<div class=\"inner\"><time datetime=\"2026-04-03T11:01:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"03 April 2026\"><span class=\"month\">April<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"3\">3,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<div class=\"titles\">\n<div class=\"tags\">\n<div class=\"sections\"><a class=\"category vertical - film-tv\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/film-tv\">Film &amp; TV<\/a><br \/>\n\/<br \/>\n<a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/feature\">Feature<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"standard-tag-container\"><a class=\"standard-category\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/film-tv\">Film &amp; TV<\/a> \/<br \/>\n<a class=\"standard-series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/feature\">Feature<\/a><\/div>\n<h1 class=\"title\"><span>DJ Ahmet, a coming-of-ager about an EDM-obsessed teen <span class=\"nowrap\">sheep farmer<\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n<div class=\"standfirst\">\n<h2>Georgi Unkovski\u2019s debut feature follows Ahmet, a 15-year-old living in a Y\u00f6r\u00fck village in North Macedonia, as his passion for raving brushes up against his <span class=\"nowrap\">conservative community<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<p><time datetime=\"2026-04-03T11:01:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"03 April 2026\"><span class=\"month\">April<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"3\">3,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><time datetime=\"2026-04-03T11:01:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"03 April 2026\"><span class=\"month\">April<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"3\">3,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/p>\n<div class=\"providers\">\n<div class=\"contributors\"><span class=\"contributor\" data-contributor-role=\"Text\"><span class=\"contributor-role\">Text<\/span><a class=\"contributor-name\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/user\/NickChen\">Nick Chen<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"article-body-container\">\n<div class=\"article-body wrapper\">\n<div class=\"dazed-gallery has-15-images \">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<header>\n<div class=\"info\"><span class=\"heading\">DJ Ahmet<\/span><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"gallery\">\n<div class=\"gallery-thumbs\">\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/film-tv\/gallery\/36899\/0\/dj-ahmet\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"DJ Ahmet\" class=\"img\" height=\"1239\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-0-1858-1239\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/2\/1442653.jpg\" width=\"1858\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/film-tv\/gallery\/36899\/1\/dj-ahmet\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"DJ Ahmet\" class=\"img\" height=\"1160\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-0-1740-1160\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/2\/1442654.jpg\" width=\"1740\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/film-tv\/gallery\/36899\/2\/dj-ahmet\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"DJ Ahmet\" class=\"img\" height=\"1165\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-0-1747-1165\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/2\/1442655.jpg\" width=\"1747\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/film-tv\/gallery\/36899\/3\/dj-ahmet\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"DJ Ahmet\" class=\"img\" height=\"1165\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-0-1747-1165\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/2\/1442656.jpg\" width=\"1747\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/film-tv\/gallery\/36899\/4\/dj-ahmet\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"DJ Ahmet\" class=\"img\" height=\"1160\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-0-1740-1160\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/2\/1442657.jpeg\" width=\"1740\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/film-tv\/gallery\/36899\/5\/dj-ahmet\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"DJ Ahmet\" class=\"img\" height=\"1169\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-0-1753-1169\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/2\/1442658.jpeg\" width=\"1753\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-footer\">Gallery \/ 15 images<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p>Georgi Unkovski knew early on that his debut feature would include sheep at an illegal rave on a rural farm in Macedonia. \u201cIt\u2019s the core idea of the film,\u201d the 36-year-old Macedonian director tells me over Zoom from his home in Skopje. \u201cIt\u2019s visualising these two worlds co-existing.\u201d He explains that farm animals are stubborn, even if the DJ is dropping club \u2013 or cub \u2013 classics. \u201cWe shot for two days, just trying to get these sheep into the party. From 20 hours of shooting, we had 25 seconds of usable raw material.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Unkovski is talking about <em>DJ Ahmet<\/em>, a coming-of-age drama about a 15-year-old boy in a Y\u00f6r\u00fck village in North Macedonia, who falls in love with EDM culture amid pressure to dedicate his life to working on the family farm. Ahmet (Arif Jakup, a first-time performer) and his younger brother, Naim (Agush Agushev), were raised by their strict father (Aksel Mehmet) in a conservative community, a factor made worse by Ahmet\u2019s mother\u2019s death \u2013 Naim has since remained mute.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"src-youtube video-container embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"media-youtube\" data-id=\"mMb1ARgMl24\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" allowfullscreen frameborder height=\"422\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/mMb1ARgMl24\" webkitallowfullscreen width=\"750\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p>Things change for Ahmet when he stumbles upon an ecstatically lit, noisy, outdoor DJ set full of open-hearted ravers, including a future crush, Aya (Dora Akan Zlatanova), a local girl preparing to rebel against an arranged marriage. When Ahmet\u2019s bleating sheep crash the party, it\u2019s a reminder of his responsibilities \u2013 his father pulled him out of school to ensure he doesn\u2019t leave the village. Now his EDM itch has been scratched, Ahmet sets upon transforming a tractor into a DJ booth with wheels.<\/p>\n<p>In writing the script, Unkovski drew upon his inner 15-year-old. \u201cFor all of us, music at some point of our life has been an intimate friend,\u201d he says. \u201cI use music to deal with trauma and emotions that have no way to be expressed.\u201d It helps, too, that his young actors were all amateurs who brought their own natural spontaneity. \u201cArif was from the village where we shot the film. The casting was 80% of the work. In real life, Arif listens to rap, and Dora loves rock. But they appreciate music. In that sense, it\u2019s authentic.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The greater authenticity, though, is in the culture clash between the local teens \u2013 who grew up with smartphones, TikTok, and a desire to record themselves while dancing around the farm \u2013 and the elder Y\u00f6r\u00fck shepherds steeped in traditionalism. Unkovski believes it\u2019s likely that <em>DJ Ahmet<\/em> is the first-ever fiction feature about the Y\u00f6r\u00fck community. \u201cIt felt like a responsibility to show their culture in a special way. The film isn\u2019t saying traditions are bad, or that the modern world is good. Both have good and bad sides. I\u2019m just showing the personal struggle of someone from that community.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<blockquote>\n<p>I wanted to show that even through the hardness and pain, there\u2019s colour and beauty. Even when you live a difficult life, you don\u2019t see things in black-and-white<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p>While Ahmet\u2019s father may seem like the film\u2019s villain, he\u2019s really a grieving widower who wasn\u2019t brought up to express his emotions. \u201cIn certain communities, it\u2019s hard for men to show pain, grief, or weakness,\u201d says Unkovski. \u201cHe\u2019s hiding his human side poorly. He\u2019s not a bad person.\u201d What will the culture clash be like in, for example, 20 years from now? \u201cI think it\u2019s a transitional phase. The media has too strong of an influence on these communities. We\u2019re going to see less and less of the traditions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Born in Macedonia, Unkovski studied filmmaking in Rochester, New York, moved to Prague for five years, and has since been back in Macedonia since 2015. For his masters, he wrote a thesis on how videogames would shape the future of cinema. \u201cI\u2019m a huge gamer,\u201d he says. \u201cI met one of my idols, Hideo Kojima, last year. I always wanted to direct a video game, but I\u2019m more sceptical now than I was in the past.\u201d How come? \u201cThere\u2019s something beautiful in how a film isn\u2019t interactive in the same way as a video game. I appreciate not having to give constant inputs.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"inline-img expandable dev-view-hide\" data-img=\"5bcefd5b-18fa-4484-ad71-b41a00b78736\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/2000\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/2\/1442663.jpeg\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"2.6\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"DJ Ahmet\" class=\"img\" height=\"1156\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/786\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/2\/1442663.jpeg\" width=\"3000\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"credit\">DJ Ahmet<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p>Instead of being into video games, though, the young characters of <em>DJ Ahmet<\/em> are drawn to the community aspect of music, and how going to raves makes them feel less alone. Even so, there\u2019s a generational divide: Ahmet and Aya delight in the rebellious nature of EDM parties and creating viral TikToks while their families react with genuine fury. Supporting Ahmet\u2019s young perspective on the world, the film boasts a deliriously bright colour palette, snappy editing, and even a modern sheen in how a sunrise is captured through a drone camera.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI wanted to make a positive film,\u201d says Unkovski. \u201cIn this part of Europe, there\u2019s a lot of dark themes, drama, and tragedies. We used the colours and music to separate us from other Balkan films. I wanted to show that even through the hardness and pain, there\u2019s colour and beauty. Even when you live a difficult life, you don\u2019t see things in black-and-white.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The playfulness was further established during rehearsals when Unkovski scrapped his plans for static cameras, Steadicams, and fastidiously designed dolly shots. The amateur cast, he learned, were best captured through handheld cameras. \u201cThese kids were not actors. They benefited from a borderline documentary style.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Next up for Unkovski is a pirate musical set in Macedonia. The director isn\u2019t a fan of musicals, so it\u2019s a self-inflicted challenge to escape his comfort zone. Returning to the topic of video games, I ask him what he believes cinema achieves as a medium than a PlayStation cannot provide. \u201cThere\u2019s a feeling of accomplishment in video games that you don\u2019t get with films,\u201d he says. \u201cI don\u2019t think that\u2019s a bad thing. For me, films should be like dreams. You watch a good film, and three days later, you think about it again. It feels foggy, but the emotions stay with you. It reaches your subconscious in a way video games don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>DJ Ahmet<em> is out in UK cinemas now.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"newsletter-inline-last\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-small\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<h1 class=\"newsletter-title\">Escape the algorithm! Get The Drop<\/h1>\n<div class=\"meta-row\">\n<p class=\"meta\">Get must-see stories direct to your inbox every weekday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"confirmation\" aria-live=\"polite\">\n<p class=\"confirmation-title\">Thank you. 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src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/480\/0-2-3000-1995\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441389.jpg\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"card-latest__content\">\n<h3 class=\"card-latest__title\">The story behind Resurrection, Bi Gan\u2019s dreamy cinematic epic<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a class=\"card-latest\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/film-tv\/article\/69889\/1\/the-sound-of-falling-mascha-schilinksi-director-interview-film-2026\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"card-latest__img-wrapper\"><span class=\"image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"The Sound of Falling\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/480\/0-2-3000-1995\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441345.jpg\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"card-latest__content\">\n<h3 class=\"card-latest__title\"> Sound of Falling is the most experimental teen drama of all time<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"newsletter-inline\" data-newsletter hidden>\n<div class=\"newsletter-small\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<h1 class=\"newsletter-title\">Escape the algorithm! Get The Drop<\/h1>\n<div class=\"meta-row\">\n<p class=\"meta\">Get must-see stories direct to your inbox every weekday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"confirmation\" aria-live=\"polite\">\n<p class=\"confirmation-title\">Thank you. You have been subscribed<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"article-body wrapper\">\n<div class=\"dazed-gallery has-15-images \">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<header>\n<div class=\"info\"><span class=\"heading\">DJ Ahmet<\/span><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"gallery\">\n<div class=\"gallery-thumbs\">\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/film-tv\/gallery\/36899\/0\/dj-ahmet\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"DJ Ahmet\" class=\"img\" height=\"1239\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-0-1858-1239\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/2\/1442653.jpg\" width=\"1858\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/film-tv\/gallery\/36899\/1\/dj-ahmet\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"DJ Ahmet\" class=\"img\" height=\"1160\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-0-1740-1160\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/2\/1442654.jpg\" width=\"1740\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/film-tv\/gallery\/36899\/2\/dj-ahmet\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"DJ Ahmet\" class=\"img\" height=\"1165\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-0-1747-1165\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/2\/1442655.jpg\" width=\"1747\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/film-tv\/gallery\/36899\/3\/dj-ahmet\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"DJ Ahmet\" class=\"img\" height=\"1165\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-0-1747-1165\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/2\/1442656.jpg\" width=\"1747\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/film-tv\/gallery\/36899\/4\/dj-ahmet\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"DJ Ahmet\" class=\"img\" height=\"1160\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-0-1740-1160\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/2\/1442657.jpeg\" width=\"1740\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/film-tv\/gallery\/36899\/5\/dj-ahmet\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"DJ Ahmet\" class=\"img\" height=\"1169\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-0-1753-1169\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/2\/1442658.jpeg\" width=\"1753\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-footer\">Gallery \/ 15 images<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p>Georgi Unkovski knew early on that his debut feature would include sheep at an illegal rave on a rural farm in Macedonia. \u201cIt\u2019s the core idea of the film,\u201d the 36-year-old Macedonian director tells me over Zoom from his home in Skopje. \u201cIt\u2019s visualising these two worlds co-existing.\u201d He explains that farm animals are stubborn, even if the DJ is dropping club \u2013 or cub \u2013 classics. \u201cWe shot for two days, just trying to get these sheep into the party. From 20 hours of shooting, we had 25 seconds of usable raw material.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Unkovski is talking about <em>DJ Ahmet<\/em>, a coming-of-age drama about a 15-year-old boy in a Y\u00f6r\u00fck village in North Macedonia, who falls in love with EDM culture amid pressure to dedicate his life to working on the family farm. Ahmet (Arif Jakup, a first-time performer) and his younger brother, Naim (Agush Agushev), were raised by their strict father (Aksel Mehmet) in a conservative community, a factor made worse by Ahmet\u2019s mother\u2019s death \u2013 Naim has since remained mute.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"src-youtube video-container embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"media-youtube\" data-id=\"mMb1ARgMl24\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" allowfullscreen frameborder height=\"422\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/mMb1ARgMl24\" webkitallowfullscreen width=\"750\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p>Things change for Ahmet when he stumbles upon an ecstatically lit, noisy, outdoor DJ set full of open-hearted ravers, including a future crush, Aya (Dora Akan Zlatanova), a local girl preparing to rebel against an arranged marriage. When Ahmet\u2019s bleating sheep crash the party, it\u2019s a reminder of his responsibilities \u2013 his father pulled him out of school to ensure he doesn\u2019t leave the village. Now his EDM itch has been scratched, Ahmet sets upon transforming a tractor into a DJ booth with wheels.<\/p>\n<p>In writing the script, Unkovski drew upon his inner 15-year-old. \u201cFor all of us, music at some point of our life has been an intimate friend,\u201d he says. \u201cI use music to deal with trauma and emotions that have no way to be expressed.\u201d It helps, too, that his young actors were all amateurs who brought their own natural spontaneity. \u201cArif was from the village where we shot the film. The casting was 80% of the work. In real life, Arif listens to rap, and Dora loves rock. But they appreciate music. In that sense, it\u2019s authentic.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The greater authenticity, though, is in the culture clash between the local teens \u2013 who grew up with smartphones, TikTok, and a desire to record themselves while dancing around the farm \u2013 and the elder Y\u00f6r\u00fck shepherds steeped in traditionalism. Unkovski believes it\u2019s likely that <em>DJ Ahmet<\/em> is the first-ever fiction feature about the Y\u00f6r\u00fck community. \u201cIt felt like a responsibility to show their culture in a special way. The film isn\u2019t saying traditions are bad, or that the modern world is good. Both have good and bad sides. I\u2019m just showing the personal struggle of someone from that community.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<blockquote>\n<p>I wanted to show that even through the hardness and pain, there\u2019s colour and beauty. Even when you live a difficult life, you don\u2019t see things in black-and-white<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p>While Ahmet\u2019s father may seem like the film\u2019s villain, he\u2019s really a grieving widower who wasn\u2019t brought up to express his emotions. \u201cIn certain communities, it\u2019s hard for men to show pain, grief, or weakness,\u201d says Unkovski. \u201cHe\u2019s hiding his human side poorly. He\u2019s not a bad person.\u201d What will the culture clash be like in, for example, 20 years from now? \u201cI think it\u2019s a transitional phase. The media has too strong of an influence on these communities. We\u2019re going to see less and less of the traditions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Born in Macedonia, Unkovski studied filmmaking in Rochester, New York, moved to Prague for five years, and has since been back in Macedonia since 2015. For his masters, he wrote a thesis on how videogames would shape the future of cinema. \u201cI\u2019m a huge gamer,\u201d he says. \u201cI met one of my idols, Hideo Kojima, last year. I always wanted to direct a video game, but I\u2019m more sceptical now than I was in the past.\u201d How come? \u201cThere\u2019s something beautiful in how a film isn\u2019t interactive in the same way as a video game. I appreciate not having to give constant inputs.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"inline-img expandable dev-view-hide\" data-img=\"5bcefd5b-18fa-4484-ad71-b41a00b78736\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/2000\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/2\/1442663.jpeg\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"2.6\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"DJ Ahmet\" class=\"img\" height=\"1156\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/786\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/2\/1442663.jpeg\" width=\"3000\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"credit\">DJ Ahmet<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p>Instead of being into video games, though, the young characters of <em>DJ Ahmet<\/em> are drawn to the community aspect of music, and how going to raves makes them feel less alone. Even so, there\u2019s a generational divide: Ahmet and Aya delight in the rebellious nature of EDM parties and creating viral TikToks while their families react with genuine fury. Supporting Ahmet\u2019s young perspective on the world, the film boasts a deliriously bright colour palette, snappy editing, and even a modern sheen in how a sunrise is captured through a drone camera.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI wanted to make a positive film,\u201d says Unkovski. \u201cIn this part of Europe, there\u2019s a lot of dark themes, drama, and tragedies. We used the colours and music to separate us from other Balkan films. I wanted to show that even through the hardness and pain, there\u2019s colour and beauty. Even when you live a difficult life, you don\u2019t see things in black-and-white.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The playfulness was further established during rehearsals when Unkovski scrapped his plans for static cameras, Steadicams, and fastidiously designed dolly shots. The amateur cast, he learned, were best captured through handheld cameras. \u201cThese kids were not actors. They benefited from a borderline documentary style.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Next up for Unkovski is a pirate musical set in Macedonia. The director isn\u2019t a fan of musicals, so it\u2019s a self-inflicted challenge to escape his comfort zone. Returning to the topic of video games, I ask him what he believes cinema achieves as a medium than a PlayStation cannot provide. \u201cThere\u2019s a feeling of accomplishment in video games that you don\u2019t get with films,\u201d he says. \u201cI don\u2019t think that\u2019s a bad thing. For me, films should be like dreams. You watch a good film, and three days later, you think about it again. It feels foggy, but the emotions stay with you. It reaches your subconscious in a way video games don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>DJ Ahmet<em> is out in UK cinemas now.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"newsletter-inline-last\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-small\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<h1 class=\"newsletter-title\">Escape the algorithm! Get The Drop<\/h1>\n<div class=\"meta-row\">\n<p class=\"meta\">Get must-see stories direct to your inbox every weekday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"confirmation\" aria-live=\"polite\">\n<p class=\"confirmation-title\">Thank you. You have been subscribed<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/film-tv\/article\/70000\/1\/dj-ahmet-a-coming-of-ager-about-an-edm-obsessed-teen-sheep-farmer&#8221;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1200\/462-0-1858-1239\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/2\/1442668.jpg&#8221;] DJ Ahmet April\u00a0 3,\u00a0 2026 Film &amp; TV \/ Feature Film &amp; TV \/ Feature DJ Ahmet, a coming-of-ager about an EDM-obsessed teen sheep farmer Georgi Unkovski\u2019s debut feature follows Ahmet, a 15-year-old living in a Y\u00f6r\u00fck village in North Macedonia, as his passion for raving brushes up against his conservative community [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,76],"class_list":["post-1850798","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-dazeddigital-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1850798","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1850798"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1850798\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1953323,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1850798\/revisions\/1953323"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1850798"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1850798"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1850798"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}