The character of Ahmet is a beautiful example of how in this story, less is more. Creating such beautiful brevity would not be possible without the bravura performances of Unkowski’s cast. Both Jaqup and Agashev are huge finds – Jaqup’s quietly intense performance is heightened by his breath-taking star quality. It’s difficult to look at anything but him when he is on screen. Unkowski described how Jaqup’s personality was central to his stunning performance: “He’s just such a pure soul. He’s unburdened by anything. Not seeing the camera, not being aware of the camera.” It helped that Jaqup came from the village where they filmed – this connection was key to Unkowski. “His eyes, his face, his hair, everything kind of worked somehow, that he was extremely authentic. And I think that authenticity makes it work,” he explained.
The production saw many youngsters for the sibling roles, narrowing it down to around forty. Unkowski described how when he saw the dynamic between these two boys it was obvious who the pair should be. He describes their relationship on screen as a “sort of magic”. Ahmet – true to form – says very little during their communication and Naim is silent, but their way of communicating doesn’t need words to be profoundly moving.
Unkowski is comfortable handing over some of the responsibility for the story to the audience, trusting them to become co-authors. He is clear that it’s not necessary to tell the audience everything, but rather “create the context and the space and the audience is the second writer to the film”. By giving his audience this agency he enables us to become part of the story – I found myself imagining the scenes we didn’t see, like the immediate emotional aftermath of the mother’s death and the details that lie behind Ava’s (Ahmet’s first love) resistance to her arranged marriage.
After winning the World Cinema Special Jury Award at Sundance, DJ Ahmet continues to gain traction as it travels around the world, developing a loyal audience. Unkowski describes his delight at the reception to his first feature film: “It’s just way beyond whatever we hoped for the film, I feel very lucky to be where I am now.”