This year’s International Short Film Competition also features four Polish productions, introduced in the studio by the competition programmer, Mateusz Góra: “Can You Hear Me?” (dir. Anastazja Naumenko), “The Secret Life of Flowers” (dir. Jakub Wenda), “Lift Lady” (dir. Marcin Modzelewski), and “Back in My Day” (dir. Iga Lis).
Discover the behind-the-scenes stories of the films you’ll soon see on the big screen.
A reminder: the 22nd edition of MDAG will open with not one, but two films!
The first is Amber Fares’ humorous take on the various ways Israelis and Palestinians try to achieve peace — “Coexistence, My Ass!”. Unfortunately, tickets for this screening are already sold out.
However, last tickets are still available for the official opening of the 22nd Millennium Docs Against Gravity in collaboration with Filmweb at Kinoteka. The film “Ernest Cole: Lost and Found”, winner of the documentary award at Cannes and directed by Oscar-nominated Raoul Peck, will be screened, followed by a special discussion.
Get your ticket for the opening film at Kinoteka
The life of a remarkable photographer seen through the lens of an acclaimed filmmaker. This fascinating cinematic story about the search for freedom, art, a mysterious discovery, and the fight for equality will open the 22nd edition of Millennium Docs Against Gravity. Together with our guests, we’ll follow the turbulent journey of Ernest Cole, one of the first Black independent photographers in South Africa. After fleeing the country in 1966, Cole settled in the United States, where he documented life in New York and the American South. Following his death, over 60,000 35mm negatives — long thought to be lost — were discovered in a Swedish bank. This story becomes the starting point for a new film by Oscar-nominated director Raoul Peck (“I Am Not Your Negro”).
After the screening, the audience will be invited to a conversation with two special guests. Leslie Matlaisane, the nephew of the legendary South African photographer and Chair of the Ernest Cole Family Trust, and Irene Lombardo, Cultural Manager at Magnum Photos, where she leads institutional cultural partnerships for exhibitions, commissions, and projects featuring Magnum photographers. The meeting will be moderated by Łukasz Muszyński, editor-in-chief of Filmweb.
The 22nd Millennium Docs Against Gravity will take place from May 9–18, 2025, in cinemas in seven cities: Warsaw, Wrocław, Gdynia, Poznań, Katowice, Łódź, and Bydgoszcz. From May 20 to June 2, the festival will continue online at mdag.pl. The festival’s title partner is Bank Millennium (https://www.bankmillennium.pl/).
