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“Budget a Worst-Case Scenario and Then Do Better”: Producers Ivan Unkovski and Ivana Shekutkoska on DJ Ahmet

People wearing traditional garb walk through a field, a tree is off in the distance.DJ Ahmet, courtesy of Sundance Institute.

A fifteen-year-old boy navigates first love, familial pressure and his newfound love of music in DJ Ahmet, premiering in the 2025 Sundance Film Festival’s World Cinema Dramatic Competition. The film is the feature debut by Sundance Short Film Program alum Georgi M. Unkovski.

Below, first-time producers Ivan Unkovski and Ivana Shekutkoska discuss the challenges and surprises they had navigating European film financing to ensure DJ Ahmet could be made. They also reflect on the state of the industry and all the untapped talent in their region of the world.

See all responses to our annual Sundance first-time producer interviews here

Filmmaker: How did you connect with this filmmaker and wind up producing the film?

Unkovski: Georgi and I are brothers but also long-time collaborators. Through our production company, we have worked on many commercial projects in the past 10 years as well as on his short film Sticker, which also premiered at Sundance in 2020 and later went to more than 200 festivals. We consult each other on many creative and production issues over the years, so it was natural for our collaboration to expand and for my production company to step up and get the chance to develop and produce his first feature film. I also believed in his choices and knew his style of work, so it was easier for us to dedicate the time and finances when knowing this. It’s much harder when you have no previous experience with the main artist behind the film.

Shekutkoska: I remember it was in 2021, just a few months after the birth of my second child, when the Ivan reached out to discuss a potential collaboration on DJ Ahmet and a few other projects under Cinema Futura. We had known each other for a few years before, and since I was involved in another feature film at a similar stage of production, I wasn’t sure if I could manage both projects. So, we agreed to take things phase by phase and see how it went.

But, I quickly connected with the project. I became fully invested, taking care of every step of the process to ensure it moved forward and was settled. From the very beginning, I loved the script and wholeheartedly believed in Georgi’s vision. I really wanted to contribute my experience in production and financing and help shape the film in a way that stayed true to its creative core. It’s been an incredibly rewarding journey, and I’m very proud to have produced such a remarkable and inspiring film. I’m also very thankful for the opportunity and the trust that Ivan and Georgi placed in me.

Filmmaker: How long a process was it to produce the film, and if you could break it into stages, periods of time, what were they? Can you also discuss how the financing came together and how long a process that was?

Unkovski: This film was in the making for five years after being turned down once at our national fund. Then things took a turn right before the pandemic in 2020 when we applied for the second time with an updated script. Still, most of the work was done in the last two years, when we intensified our financing and started preparing and gathering the team. The actual shoot was 36 days at the end of 2023, and the post-production took almost one year to finish. So, we can say it was really fast or somewhat slow, depending on how you look at it. I guess that’s a normal time frame for a feature film, from idea to script to getting financing and international support to preparation, filming and then finally post-production, hoping everything goes smoothly. We all know films that can’t finish their post-production sometimes for more than 2-3 years, whether because of insufficient funds at the end or because parts are missing. So, you never know.

Shekutkoska: The entire process of producing the film took almost five years in total. If we break it down into stages: development was almost one year (2020-2021); raising financing before production, two-and-a-half years (2021-2023); pre-production, half a year (2023); shooting, 36 days (Oct-Dec 2023); post-production, one year (2024). Each stage had its own challenges, but overall, it was a long and rewarding journey.

Filmmaker: Can you also discuss how the financing came together and how long a process that was?

Unkovski: Financing in our region (and most of Europe) almost always starts with some support from the national or regional film funds. This help is essential to get the project moving, and for small countries that have no large audiences or lots of private financing options, this seems to be the only way forward. However, these national funds usually can’t cover all projects, and even when they like your project, you then need extra funding, so you apply for co-production to regional funds if you find a local co-producer from that country that’s willing to support your project. If the project gets a green light and some financing at the other funds, you can then apply to the bigger European funds, such as Eurimages, and start looking for other forms of financing. But there are no guarantees that anybody outside your local market will support you, and many projects have a hard time closing the budget and then decide to fit the story to whatever budget they have. You spend months preparing your presentation, budget, mood boards, and, together with other co-producers, decide upon creative positions that could be serviced by them when the movie starts production. So, it’s a joint process. In one way, we are very limited because we come from poor regions and small markets. On the other, we are lucky to some extent to get a chance for national funding and simple cross-border collaboration with other co-producers from regional countries.

Shekutkoska: The financing process for the film was a lengthy, multi-step journey that took about three years to complete. Initially, we secured funding from the North Macedonia Film Agency, which enabled us to begin developing and co-financing the project. Next, the Czech Film Fund (via Alter Vision and Analog Vision) came on board, providing additional support to move the film forward. Soon after, Backroom Production and Bas Celik joined as co-production partners, securing financing from the Film Center Serbia, which further strengthened our financial backing.

We were also fortunate to receive support from Eurimages, which gave the project a major boost and helped us transition into the production phase. Finally, after shooting was completed, 365 Films from Croatia came on board as a fourth co-production partner, supported by the HAVC (Croatian Audiovisual Centre), completing our international partnership network.

I must say that we are deeply grateful to our co-production partners and the national funds of each country. Their support was absolutely crucial, because without it, the financing process would have taken even longer and been more challenging.

Filmmaker: Did you have important or impactful mentors, or support from organizations, that were instrumental in your development as a producer?

Unkovski: I was extremely lucky to study film production myself and later work in advertising as a producer of commercials and videos at my agency for the past 20 years. Producing high- and low-budget commercials and videos helped me get ready for what is a very demanding and long film production. However, for DJ Ahmet, having Ivana in our team as a producer was also instrumental in getting the film made. Although it’s also her first feature, her energy and dedication got us through some tough times when financing was still in the beginning. I also had the luck to work with Viktor Pavlovski, our line producer, who made sure things went through when production started and who has worked on numerous productions before. I think that their involvement in the project meant a lot for the project to make it this far. We also had co-producers that are the best in the game, from different countries, with award-winning feature films behind them, and with experience and knowledge about different aspects of the production, willing to help out and share their advice and teams when needed. So it was a mix of my own experience, our own producers, and the co-producers that gave me the support and made me feel like part of a team in which everyone had the same mission to make the film as good as they can.

Shekutkoska: My background is in economics, with a master’s degree in marketing, advertising, and PR, so I started my career in producing from a completely different field. I was fortunate to meet a mentor, producer-director Zlatko Kalenikov, who recognized my potential and invested significant time, energy and resources into guiding me. His mentorship was a turning point, encouraging me to pursue a career in producing, and truly fueled my passion for this work. As I continued to grow and started my own production company, I’ve had and still have incredible support from my family, my husband, my two kids, my parents (especially my mother), my sister and all my loved ones. Their encouragement has been invaluable in helping me juggle the demands of a career in film with family life, and I couldn’t have gotten here without them.

I must also add that working with Macedonian director and scriptwriter Gjorce Stavreski over the past years has had a significant influence on me and contributed to my development as a producer. Finally, working on this film and collaborating with Ivan and Georgi has been instrumental in my growth and evolution as a producer.

Filmmaker: What was the most difficult aspect of producing this film?

Unkovski: For me, it was the cash flow. Keeping all things moving while trying to secure the cash flow from all sides was extremely stressful and on the verge of breaking up. But we were stubborn not to stop shooting and not to postpone anymore, so we took the risk, cashed out loans, and started production. But there were so many stressful aspects, from working with non-actor kids in a language I didn’t speak to shooting in a secluded mountain village in the rainy season with a debutant director. It was very easy for us to slip and end up in a ditch, but I can say we were well-prepared, focused, had great professionals on the team, and we also had luck. You need some luck to pull off the movie in the end.

Shekutkoska: The most difficult aspect of producing this film was the complexity of the production itself—the combination of a remote location, language barriers, and limited resources. We were shooting in a small village near a small city with limited capacity, which made logistics a constant challenge. As the process went on, we faced unstable weather, adding an extra layer of unpredictability to our already tight schedule.

There were also many extras involved, which required careful coordination, but it added a sense of realism to the film that was definitely worth the effort. I must say, although I initially thought one of the more complicated aspects would be working with non-professional actors in the lead roles, especially in a setting where they weren’t accustomed to the demands of a film set, we couldn’t have asked for better actors for the work they did. On top of that, they brought an incredible amount of authenticity to the project.

I can honestly say that the obstacles we faced actually contributed to the film’s authenticity and energy, making it all the more special.

Filmmaker: What single element of the film do you take the greatest amount of pride in, or maybe were just most excited by, as a producer?

Unkovski: Finishing the film on time and that we didn’t steer too much from the original idea.

Shekutkoska: As a producer, I’m most proud of securing the funding for this debut feature film. It was an exciting and pivotal moment for the project, as we were able to secure significant financial support that allowed us to bring this film to life. Successfully navigating the Eurimages application process was particularly important to me personally. It was my first time preparing such an application, and there were definitely challenges along the way. However, I’m incredibly proud that we not only met those challenges but ultimately received the funding needed for production. It was a huge milestone for both me personally and for the film, and it really helped propel the project forward.

Filmmaker: What surprised you or was unexpected when it comes to the producing of the film?

Unkovski: The great on-screen presence, honesty, and true-to-life acting of the children in the film. Arif, Agush, and Dora were all non-actors, appearing on film for the first time, and cast among children in the villages where we shot.

Shekutkoska: What really surprised me during the production of this film was the sheer length and depth of the entire process. In theory, I knew that producing a European film would take time, but I didn’t fully grasp just how long and consuming it would be. It’s not just about the time spent on set—it’s the months of financing, pre-production, the endless paperwork, the back-and-forth with stakeholders and the emotional energy you pour into every phase of the project.

The involvement in every aspect and its constant balancing act between the creative vision and practical realities can be emotionally consuming at times. The level of personal involvement required was more than I expected, as was the emotional connection I develop with the film. You’re not just working on the project, you’re living it, day in and day out, for what often feels like an eternity.

Filmmaker: What are the challenges facing new producers entering the business right now at this unique historical moment? What could or should change about the film business to make producing a more sustainable practice?

Unkovski: Finding good stories, finding good talent to connect with, networking with other producers and pushing their projects against all odds. The biggest studios should give more opportunities to new markets and talents. Streaming platforms such as Netflix and Amazon should invest much more in small markets, where they would get so much quality content which is now waiting. It would be done for much less and done extremely well because there are great directors and scriptwriters and excellent film crews in all these countries, with stories that are local but also universal, important and relevant for bigger markets as well. Studios need to take the risk and not worry about languages and how it would resonate in the West. It will. People like to see stories about people. Fresh stories and new characters. I think all film business is currently in a comfort zone that’s clogged with formulaic stuff and reruns or remakes. We need to take risks with new voices.

Filmmaker: Finally, what advice would you pass on to future new producers preparing to embark on their first production?

Unkovski: Find talent (directors) that you want to work with and do your best to help them develop their story. Work on other projects before your first big production; it could be anything, but get some experience before. Get the best people you can for the major positions in your crew because it all starts with them. Try to avoid toxic crew members no matter how good they are. Do the budget always as a worst-case scenario and then do better than that once you start shooting. Have in mind everything that can go wrong and then check again. Work on more projects at the same time and always be interested in what’s being produced around. Most of all, take risks, and be ready to sacrifice and find solutions for even the most unimaginable problems, because there is a way for everything even when it seems that it’s a dead end. Once your project is finished, always try to secure an early festival premiere to get exposure.

Shekutkoska: It takes a lot of hard work, commitment, passion and a willingness to take risks. It’s a journey with plenty of challenges, but also huge rewards. Stay focused on both the big picture and the details, and always be ready to adapt as things evolve. Build strong relationships with your team and stay connected to the project, it’ll help keep you motivated through tough times. It’s also crucial to surround yourself with talented people in key roles who will stay with you throughout the entire process.

At times, it may feel like a grueling uphill climb, but the satisfaction that comes from seeing your hard work come to life is immeasurable. When the final product is complete, it will reflect all the effort, dedication, and heart you put into it. And that feeling of accomplishment makes it all worthwhile.

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