On Thursday, May 8, the Opening Galas of the 22nd edition of the Millennium Docs Against Gravity festival will take place at two Warsaw cinemas: Multikino Złote Tarasy and Kinoteka! This means that starting Friday, regular screenings will begin in seven cities—Warsaw, Wrocław, Gdynia, Katowice, Poznań, Bydgoszcz, and Łódź—as part of the second largest documentary film festival in Europe. Here’s what to look out for over the next few days as you plan your festival experience.
Although the cinematic emotions are only just beginning, yesterday marked the official opening of the exhibition “Ernest Cole: Lens in Exile,” which will be on display at the State Ethnographic Museum until August 31. The exhibition is accompanied by the Polish premiere of the film “Ernest Cole: Lost and Found.”
Two Opening Films for the 22nd Edition!
Leslie Matlaisane, nephew of Ernest Cole and head of the Ernest Cole Family Trust, will meet with the audience during the festival's opening at Kinoteka. Photo: Marek Kita
The 22nd edition of MDAG in Warsaw will open with Coexistence, My Ass! by Amber Fares and Ernest Cole: Lost and Found by Raoul Peck. The first film is a humorous exploration of various approaches to peacebuilding between Israelis and Palestinians. Unfortunately, tickets for this screening are already sold out.
However, final tickets are still available for the special opening event at Kinoteka, organized with Filmweb, featuring Ernest Cole: Lost and Found, which won the documentary award in Cannes and was directed by Oscar®-nominated filmmaker Raoul Peck. A special discussion will follow the screening.
TICKETS FOR THE OPENING
Special Meetings in “The Best of MDAG” Section
This year’s section of timeless documentary film classics will feature post-screening discussions with outstanding filmmakers from around the world. All screenings take place at 8:30 PM in Cinema Atlantic, Room B. Here are the dates and guests:
May 10: After The Kingmaker, meet director Lauren Greenfield, who will also present her new docuseries Social Studies at the festival.
May 11: After Welcome to Chechnya, meet Oscar®-nominated director David France, who will also present his new film Free Leonard Peltier. This event marks the beginning of a new collaboration between MDAG and the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI).
May 12: After 5 Broken Cameras, meet Oscar®-nominated director Guy Davidi, who serves on the Amnesty International Poland Award jury this year.
May 13: After Amy, meet Oscar®-winning director Asif Kapadia, who will also present his new film 2073.
May 14: After Gunnar Goes God, meet director Gunnar Hall Jensen, who will also present Portrait of a Confused Father.
May 15: After The Soundtrack to a Coup d’État, meet Oscar®-nominated producer Remi Grellety, who is a juror in the Main Competition.
May 17: After Beuys, meet director Andres Veiel, who will also present his new film Riefenstahl.
May 18: After Symphony of the Ursus Factory, meet director Jaśmina Wójcik, who will also present her new film King Matt the First.
Mark Cousins’ Anti-Masterclass
A meeting with Mark Cousins, the subject of this year’s retrospective and the director of the Main Competition entry “A Sudden Glimpses to Deeper Things”, will turn the traditional concept of a masterclass on its head. In this unconventional session, we’ll delve into recurring themes in Cousins’ work. We’ll analyze images and explore how different frames can convey multiple layers and emotional responses. The conversation will also explore the art of storytelling—how choosing topics and constructing narratives in fiction can inform documentary filmmaking. The masterclass will be led by MDAG’s Artistic Director, Karol Piekarczyk.
Admission is free. Join us on Saturday, May 10, at 4:00 PM at the National Museum of Ethnography in Warsaw (ul. Kredytowa 1).
MORE ABOUT THE FILM
FIPRESCI Announces Collaboration with MDAG!
To mark its 100th anniversary, the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) is launching a new collaboration with Millennium Docs Against Gravity! To celebrate, we invite you to a special screening of Welcome to Chechnya by David France, introduced by FIPRESCI President Ahmed Shawky. A discussion with the director will follow.
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Welcome to Chechnya won the FIPRESCI Award at the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival in 2020. The critics’ jury stated:
“In these unprecedented times, socio-political activism is more important than ever. Isolation has made it easier for white, heterosexual populists around the world to impose extreme policies. Welcome to Chechnya by David France gives voice to the voiceless: women and LGBTQ communities who are the first to suffer when freedom of speech and expression is restricted. The film reveals a little-known, shocking reality and its cost—using deepfake techniques such as facial replacement. It’s a striking and powerfully ironic approach.”
Collaboration with TikTok
– Alternate Festival Trailer, Contest, and Report!
In response to the changing ways people engage with culture and discuss films—conversations that increasingly take place in the digital sphere—this year the festival is joining forces with TikTok in a brand-new partnership. As part of this collaboration, for the first time in MDAG’s history, a special trailer inspired by the world of #FilmTok will accompany the traditional festival teaser. Shot entirely in a vertical 9:16 format, the trailer features festival volunteers and Polish TikTok creators who share their reflections on community, openness, and the emotions that come with the film-watching experience. The trailer was edited by Dorota Proba, the director of the main festival spot. It also serves as a preview for a series of six longer videos that will be published on MDAG’s official TikTok profile, @millenniumdocsag.
Together with TikTok, we’re also inviting all festivalgoers to take part in the contest “MDAG Moves You—You Tell the Story,” where participants can win tickets to unique MDAG events and screenings, as well as a festival pass for next year’s edition and unlimited access to the VOD.MDAG.PL platform. To enter, simply record a video showcasing your experience of the festival—such as a personal report from this year’s edition—and post it on TikTok with the hashtag #mdag2025 by May 16.
As part of the collaboration, a survey was also conducted among TikTok users, exploring the impact of the internet on film consumption, cultural dialogue, and the promotion of films through digital platforms. The results will be announced soon. This marks another step toward a deeper understanding of the transformations taking place in the world of cinema.
