On August 26 last year, we had the premiere of “A Joke” at the prestigious Odense Film Festival in Denmark.
Let’s take a look back at what it looked like behind the camera 👀🎬 here is the link
And right on time, the news arrived about yet another festival – the 30th official selection for “A Joke”.
The festival journey of A Joke continues to shine! After multiple international recognitions, the film has now received two more prestigious Best Film awards – this time in Macedonia, on the stunning shores of Lake Ohrid.
🏆 Beach Film Festival – Best Film
🏆 DRIM SHORT Film Festival – Best Film in the National Competition
These latest honors are a beautiful reminder of the film’s connection with audiences at home, as well as abroad. Both festivals celebrate cinema in one of the most breathtaking and culturally rich regions in the world, making these wins even more special.
A heartfelt thank you to both festivals, the juries, and everyone who shared this moment with us. Lake Ohrid will forever remain a milestone in the journey of A Joke. 🌊🎥
Out of 104 selected films from 37 countries, this short film was chosen for the festival’s opening night as the strongest reflection of this year’s theme: coming of age, personal growth, love, friendship, and the questions that arise when stepping into the world of adulthood.
The audience in Split responded with genuine applause as the crew stepped on stage. After the screening, there were comments that the characters and the world the film presents left an impression as if they were part of a feature-length production—so vivid and present that they stayed with the viewers even after the final frame.
“A Joke” is one of the rare short films in the history of the festival to be invited to a Q&A session after the screening—a gesture that speaks to the deep resonance it had with the audience.
In attendance at the opening were director Trifun Sitnikovski and producers Goce Kralevski and Adrijana Prugovečki.
The film was received with warmth and attention, just as every small, sincere story hopes to be when it finds its place on the big screen.
A JOKE – Festival Journey 
AWARD HIGHLIGHTS
Dzirni, Skopje, Macedonia – Audience Best Film & Special Mention for Jana Nikodinovska Filmski Front, Novi Sad, Serbia – Best Movie Unica Korea, Korea – Gold Award & Best Acting for Jana Nikodinovska
In addition to Odense, A Joke was selected by renowned festivals such as:
Over the past few days, Birthing team was in Croatia, where the final color grading and sound design took place, followed by a test screening.
Color grading was done at Eclecttica Studio, while sound editing and design were completed at SobaDo Studio.
In Zagreb were director Milena Vitman, cinematographer Marina Koloska, and producer Goce Kralevski, warmly welcomed by Croatian producer Adrijana Prugovečki.
The entire process took place in a productive and professional atmosphere, with excellent collaboration with the team from WOODZ Production in Croatia. The film is taking its final shape and will soon be ready for the audience.
We just added a gallery BTS from “A Joke”, to remember our Journeys 🙂
Pictures in the link – > https://dnf.mk/about-us/
The film “A Joke” continues to achieve remarkable success following its premiere at the Odense Festival in Denmark. It has garnered multiple awards across various international festivals, including Best Film at the Filmski Front Festival in Novi Sad, Serbia (2024), and UNICA Korea (2024). Additionally, it won the Audience Award at the Dzirni Festival in Skopje, Macedonia.
Jana Nikodinovska, the lead actress in “A Joke” has also been recognized for her outstanding performance, winning Best Actress awards at both the Dzirni Festival and UNICA Korea.
Beyond the accolades, the film has sparked significant audience engagement, with lively discussions following every screening, making it a standout at every festival it attends.
After the world premiere in Odense, Denmark. “Mala Shega” had a festival screening at more than 10 festivals. It had its Macedonian premiere at The International Cinematographers’ Film Festival “MANAKI BROTHERS”, Bitola Macedonia, which continued the Macedonian festival screening at Dzirni, Skopje, as well as Winter Apricots, Prilep,
The festival life of “Mala Shega” continues with the official, international competition at the following festivals:
Filmski Front, Novi Sad, Serbia, 2024
Hobnobben Film Festival, Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States, 2024
Bardi Film Festival, Bardi, Italy, 2024
Pori Film Festival, Pori Finland 2024
International Film Festival “Pearl of the Silk Road”, Tashkent, Uzbekistan 2024
Mladinski Filmski Festival Spoznavanje, Bitola, Macedonia 2024
Zuma Film Festival, Abuja, Nigeria 2024
Janjira International Film Festival. Murud, India, 2025
Many more festival screenings are expected.
🎬The Macedonian short film “А ЈОКЕ” by the director Trifun Sitnikovski premiered at the Odense International Film Festival (OFF Festival) in Denmark along with 147 films from 39 different countries.
The Macedonian short film “A Joke”, which was in competition with 4140 short films from around the world, entered the official selection of the prestigious film festival in Odense, Denmark.
The official selection included 149 films from 39 countries, including the film “A Joke” by director Trifun Sitnikovski, produced by DNF Films and co-produced by IRL from Macedonia and Izvan Fokusa from Croatia.
DNF FILMS also swims in animated waters 
