Dir: Georgi M. Unkovski | Drama 2026
In the wild landscapes of Northern Macedonia techno music and sheep farming make a novel premise for this award-winning coming-of-age debut from Georgi M. Unkovski.
Once again the young are caught between the pressures of traditional expectations and a desire to join the modern world, this time in the Muslim Yürük community. And this rebellious streak gives the film its dramatic twist. Ahmet, a music-mad teenager, is under the cosh of his draconian widowed father who needs help on the farm and his much younger brother Naim, undergoing treatment for temporary loss of speech.
The blue-eyed, tousled haired teenager has a glint of insurrection in his eye and this sets the tone for a film that once again questions societal norms. Ahmet also struggling with the disappointment of a failed relationship and a recurring dream about losing his sheep during a musical interlude and this episode will have a surprising outcome.
Father and son clearly have a strong bond despite their differences and Arif Jakup (who plays Ahmet) won a best actor prize for conveying this affectionate relationship in a refreshing take on rural communities struggling to survive the transition between past and present, enlivened by its electronic score and unusual use of colour.
NOW IN UK CINEMAS