Georgi M. Unkovski’s “DJ Ahmet” leads the cinema categories at the Adriatic Film and TV Awards, with seven nominations. The awards honor the top films and series from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Slovenia and Serbia.
“DJ Ahmet” premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in the World Cinema Dramatic category. It won the Audience Award as well as the Special Jury Award for Creative Vision.
“Yugo Florida” follows with six nominations. “Wind, Talk to Me,” “Mother” and “God Will Not Help” each earned five.
How the vote worked
The nominations were decided by a vote of more than 800 members of the Film and TV Academy of the Adriatic Region. Those film and television professionals will now choose the winners.
The awards will be presented on Oct. 24 in Porto Montenegro, Tivat, Montenegro.
The Film and TV Academy of the Adriatic Region was founded by the members of the Adriatic Region Festival Network: Sarajevo Film Festival, Auteur Film Festival Belgrade and Zagreb Film Festival.
In the film categories, “DJ Ahmet” (North Macedonia, Czech Republic, Serbia, Croatia) is directed by Georgi M. Unkovski, with producers Ivan Unkovski and Ivana Shekutkoska. The other best film nominees are “God Will Not Help/Bog neće pomoći” (Croatia, Italy, Romania, Greece, France, Slovenia), directed by Hana Jušić; “Mother/Majka” (Belgium, North Macedonia, Denmark, Sweden, Bosnia and Herzegovina), directed by Teona Strugar Mitevska; “Wind, Talk to Me/Vetre, pričaj sa mnom” (Serbia, Slovenia, Croatia), directed by Stefan Đorđević; and “Yugo Florida” (Serbia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Montenegro), directed by Vladimir Tagić.
Lead acting nominees
The lead actress field includes Jasna Diklić (“The Pavilion”/”Paviljon”), Manuela Martelli (“God Will Not Help”), Noomi Rapace (“Mother”/”Majka”), Hana Selimović (“Yugo Florida”) and Dora Akan Zlatanova (“DJ Ahmet”).
Lead actor nominees are Stefan Đorđević (“Wind, Talk to Me”), Filip Đurić (“How Come It’s All Green Out Here?”), Arif Jakup (“DJ Ahmet”), Andrija Kuzmanović (“Yugo Florida”) and Nikola Ristanovski (“Mother”/”Majka”).
In the TV series categories, “Black Sun”/”Senke nad Balkanom” (Serbia) and “The Hollow”/”Kotlina” (Bosnia and Herzegovina) lead with four nominations each. “Komar” (Bosnia and Herzegovina) and “Shame”/”Sram” (Croatia) follow with three each.
The remaining TV series nominee is “The Monster Behind the Iron Curtain”/”Pošast za železno zaveso” (Slovenia).
Lead actress in a TV series nominees include Lejla Hakalović (“Komar”), Jana Jakopović (“Shame”/”Sram”), Nina Janković (“Black Sun”), Nataša Ninković (“Black Sun”) and Snežana Vidović (“The Hollow”).
For lead actor in a TV series, the nominees are Dragan Bjelogrlić (“Black Sun”), Boris Ler (“The Hollow”), Igor Skvarica (“Komar”), Borna Šimunek (“Shame”) and Feđa Štukan (“The Hollow”).
Film nomination counts
Here’s how the top films compare by nomination count:
| Film | Nominations | Director |
|---|---|---|
| “DJ Ahmet” | 7 | Georgi M. Unkovski |
| “Yugo Florida” | 6 | Vladimir Tagić |
| “Wind, Talk to Me” | 5 | Stefan Đorđević |
| “Mother”/”Majka” | 5 | Teona Strugar Mitevska |
| “God Will Not Help” | 5 | Hana Jušić |
Several directors appear across multiple categories. Stefan Đorđević is nominated for lead actor, director, screenplay and debut film, and his film “Wind, Talk to Me” is a best film nominee. Unkovski is nominated for director, screenplay and debut film, and his film “DJ Ahmet” is a best film nominee.
Debut and rising stars
The debut film nominees are:
- Katarina Bogdanović (Kukla) – “Fantasy”
- Stefan Đorđević – “Wind, Talk to Me”
- Ester Ivakič – “Ida Who Sang So Badly Even the Dead Rose Up and Joined Her in Song”
- Vladimir Tagić – “Yugo Florida”
- Georgi M. Unkovski – “DJ Ahmet”
The rising star category also highlights emerging talent. Marko Grabež (“The Wedding”/”Svadba”), Arif Jakup (“DJ Ahmet”), Jana Milosavljević (“Yugo Florida”), Lamija Salihović (“Komar,” “The Hollow”/”Kotlina”) and Ana Marija Veselčić (“God Will Not Help”) are all nominated.
The winners will be announced at the ceremony on Oct. 24.
Source: variety.com
Get the Notebook.
The day's best stories and every fresh verdict, in plain English, in your inbox by seven. One email a day, no more.