Skopje, 3 September 2024 (MIA) — The Macedonian short film "A Joke" (2024) by director Trifun Sitnikovski premiered at the Odense International Film Festival in Denmark along with 147 films from 39 different countries, producers said in a press release.

Inspired by Anton Chekhov's short story of the same name, "A Joke" is a coming-of-age story about teenage love, adventure and anxiety about the future, producers said, adding that the short premiered to great acclaim.

"A wonderful adaptation of Chekhov's famous story," "The director has done a brilliant job," "The film touched us and let us see the workings of Macedonian society up close," were some of the audience's comments, according to the release.

Jana Nikodinovska and Marko Ilievski play the leading roles.

"I am touched that the audience in Denmark empathized with the Macedonian story and our main characters' challenges," Sitnikovski is quoted as saying in the release.

Trifun Sitnikovski is a young director who has worked in the film industry for more than ten years and has shot more than a dozen short films and documentaries. He is currently directing the investigative documentary series "The Newsroom," co-produced by the Investigative Reporting Laboratory and the Macedonian Radio Television.

According to the release, "A Joke" is IRL's first co-production of fictional content as part of its efforts to establish its Story Lab production focusing on films of public interest.

The producer and editor is Goce Kralevski, and the co-producers are Sashka Cvetkovska and Adriana Prugovechki.

"A Joke" is a co-production between DNF Films, IRL, and Izvan Fokusa from Croatia, in cooperation with Vardar Film and with the support of the Film Agency and the Croatian Audiovisual Center. mr/