Georgi M. Unkovski

Georgi M. Unkovski
Георги М. Унковски
Unkovski at Film Fest Gent in 2025
Born1988 (age 37–38)
New York City, United States
CitizenshipNorth Macedonia
Alma materRochester Institute of Technology
FAMU
OccupationDirector
Years active2019–present
Known forSticker
DJ Ahmet
FatherSlobodan Unkovski

Georgi M. Unkovski (Macedonian: Георги М. Унковски; born 1988) is a Macedonian film director. Born in the United States and raised in North Macedonia, he studied filmmaking at the Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague before returning to North Macedonia, where he directed episodes of the comedy series Prespav. Both Unkovski's debut short film, Sticker (2019), and debut feature-length film, DJ Ahmet (2025), premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, where the latter won an Audience Award and a Special Jury Prize.

Early life and education

Unkovski was born in New York City, United States, and raised in what was then Yugoslavia and later the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. His father, Slobodan Unkovski, is a Macedonian theatre director and academic. After completing his education, he returned to the United States to study photography at the Rochester Institute of Technology. Unkovski went on to study filmmaking at the Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, Czech Republic; during his time there, he directed over ten student films, including the comedy short Pepi i Muto (2015).[1][2]

Career

After graduating, Unkovski moved to Skopje, where he directed episodes of the television series Prespav. In 2019, he filmed the short film Sticker, a satire following a single father struggling to deal with Macedonian bureaucracy. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2020.[1][3][4]

In 2020, Unkovski began writing what would become his feature length debut, DJ Ahmet, based on a mental image of a shepherd entering a forest and stumbling across a rave. Filming began in late 2023 after funding was received; in addition to a grant of 380, 000 MKD from the Macedonian Film Agency, support was also provided from Cinema Futura and Sektor Film in North Macedonia; Bekum and Baš Čelik Production in Serbia; and Analog Vision in the Czech Republic. DJ Ahmet was filmed over 36 days in late 2023 in Kodžalija, Ali Koč and Skopje, and follows a 15-year-old Yörük boy struggling falling in love in rural North Macedonia while aspiring to become a DJ. Taking place primarily in Turkish, it was called the first film about Yörüks to actively involve the group in the film's production.[5][6][3][7][8][9]

DJ Ahmet premiered on 23 January 2025 at the Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award in the World Cinema Competition, in addition to the Special Jury Prize for Creative Vision. It had its European premiere at the Sarajevo Film Festival, and won awards at the Seattle International Film Festival, Seville European Film Festival, Braunschweig International Film Festival and the Herceg Novi Film Festival, as well as screening at the Sydney Film Festival and the British Film Institute.[1][3][4][8][10][11][12] DJ Ahmet premiered in North Macedonia in October 2025, and became the fourth most popular film of 2025.[2]

In 2025, Unkovski served as a mentor for the Talents Sarajevo programme at the 2025 Sarajevo Film Festival.[13]

As of 2026, Unkovski is writing a musical film about pirates.[3] The film, titled Kralot na gjubreto (Macedonian: Кралот на ѓубрето, lit. 'The Garbage King'), received 30 million MKD of funding from the Macedonian Film Agency.[14]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Georgi M. Unkovski im Porträt". Der Freitag (in German). 17 March 2026. Retrieved 30 May 2026.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. 1 2 Kovačević, Miona (25 February 2026). "Georgi M. Unkovski for NIN: Between a Balkan Village and Sundance". NIN. Archived from the original on 30 May 2026. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Wales, Hannah (25 March 2026). "Georgi M. Unkovski on making his music-filled crowd-pleaser DJ Ahmet". Miss Flicks. Archived from the original on 30 May 2026. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
  4. 1 2 Dimkov, Toni (2025). "Interview with film director Georgi M. Unkovski: The success of "DJ Ahmet" exceeded all expectations we had for it". Sloboden Pečat. Archived from the original on 30 May 2026. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
  5. ↑ "Georgi M. Unkovski: I Had Image in My Head of a Shepherd Stumbling Into a Techno Party for a Long Time". Sarajevo Film Festival. Archived from the original on 13 February 2026. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
  6. ↑ Jenner, Matthew Joseph (21 August 2025). "Sarajevo 2025 review: DJ Ahmet (Georgi M. Unkovski)". International Cinephile Society. Archived from the original on 21 August 2025. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
  7. ↑ Lazarevik, Ivana M. (31 March 2021). "Разговор со режисерот Георги Унковски кој ќе го снима својот прв игран филм „ДЈ Ахмет"". Sloboden Pečat (in Macedonian). Archived from the original on 30 May 2026. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
  8. 1 2 "Унковски: Балканот е сè уште место на недостаток на слобода, поделби и бесмислена традиција што нè труе". Lokalno (in Macedonian). 2 September 2025. Archived from the original on 30 May 2026. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
  9. ↑ "Елегантен и привлечен, вели „Холивуд репортер" за „Диџеј Ахмет" на Георги Унковски". Nezavisen Vesnik (in Macedonian). 24 January 2025. Archived from the original on 10 February 2025. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
  10. ↑ "Georgi M Unkovski in The Director's Chair". Sydney Film Festival. 17 February 2026. Archived from the original on 7 March 2026. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
  11. ↑ Phan, Sandy (31 March 2025). ""DJ Ahmet" Calls Us to Dance and Be Brave". Sundance Institute. Archived from the original on 8 February 2026. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
  12. ↑ "„Диџеј Ахмет" на Георги М. Унковски синоќа премиерно прикажан на „Санденс"". Umno (in Macedonian). 24 January 2025. Archived from the original on 30 May 2026. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
  13. ↑ "Георги М. Унковски и Наум Доксевски ќе бидат ментори на Talents Sarajevo 2025". Kultura 24 (in Macedonian). 2025. Retrieved 30 May 2026.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  14. ↑ "ГЕОРГИ М. УНКОВСКИ ДОБИ 485.000 ЕВРА ЗА „КРАЛОТ НА ЃУБРЕТО" НА КОНКУРСОТ НА АГЕНЦИЈАТА ЗА ФИЛМ, ПОДДРЖАНИ И ФИЛМОВИТЕ НА ДЕХАРИ, БОЈАЏИ, СТЕФАНОВ И ПЕТРОВИЌ". Sakam da kažam (in Macedonian). 29 May 2026. Retrieved 30 May 2026.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
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