Audience Award – Feature Film 2026
Le Garçon qui faisait danser les collines
DJ Ahmet
A film by Georgi M. Unkovski
Synopsis
Ahmet is fifteen and lives in the mountains of North Macedonia, herding his father’s sheep and looking after his younger brother. Since his mother’s death, the family has turned inward, his father lost, his brother silent. The tight-knit Yörük community expects Ahmet to keep his head down and follow tradition. But Ahmet has other ideas: he wants to become a DJ, and make the hills around him dance.
Trailer
Director’s statement
Although born in New York, Georgi M. Unkovski is himself of Macedonian origin. So it is no coincidence that he chose to shoot within the Yörük community, after extensive location scouting and casting. His film blends tradition and modernity without ever taking sides: sheep wreak havoc at the rave, girls dance to techno in traditional dress, and the imam tries to harness technology to broadcast the call to prayer. The film’s world premiere at Sundance, in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition, also marks Unkovski’s return to Park City after his short film Sticker (2020).
At the festival
Screening · Le Garçon qui faisait danser les collines
Écoles Cinéma Club, 23 Rue des Écoles, 75005 Paris
Past screening
Cast
Credits
| Director | Georgi M. Unkovski |
|---|---|
| Screenplay | Georgi M. Unkovski |
| Country · year | North Macedonia / Czech Republic / Serbia / Croatia · 2025 |
| Running time · genre | 1h39 · Comedy-drama |
| Language | Turkish, Macedonian, English |
| Production | Cinema Futura, Alter Vision, Backroom Production, 365 Films, Analog Vision, Film House Baš Čelik, Sektor Film |
| Distributor | KMBO |
Stills
Feature Film in Competition 2026
Best Actress – Feature Film
FIJA 2026
FIJA 2026
Best Actor – Feature Film
FIJA 2026
Pass Culture Award
FIJA 2026
Best Feature Film
FIJA 2026
FIJA 2026
FIJA 2026
