The world’s largest celebration of independent cinema — the Sundance Film Festival — is currently underway. Among the films selected for the International Documentary Competition is ”Closure” by Michał Marczak, whose Polish premiere will take place at Millennium Docs Against Gravity in May, as we reported a few weeks ago. This moving story of a father searching for his missing son by combing the bottom of the Vistula River is not the only Sundance premiere that will be shown to Polish audiences for the first time at MDAG.
We present four more films that vividly capture the complexity of the world of people and nature. They will be waiting for audiences in cinemas across seven cities from 8 to 17 May 2026. The online edition of MDAG will take place from 19 May to 1 June at mdag.pl.
„Time and Water”, dir. Sara Dosa
Sara Dosa, well known to Millennium Docs Against Gravity audiences for Fire of Love, returns to the festival with a poetic story about memory, the passage of time, and the loss of what once seemed indestructible. As Icelandic glaciers melt and cherished grandparents pass away, Andri Snær Magnason transforms his rich archive – family photos, recordings, myths, and songs – into a kind of time capsule meant to preserve what slips away: memories, family, time, and water. Against the backdrop of inevitable climate change, the film connects personal loss with the universal question of impermanence and ways of preserving memory.
„Nuisance Bear”, dir. Gabriela Osio Vanden, Jack Weisman
The story of the bears from the town of Churchill also returns to the festival. First presented as a short film at MDAG in 2022, it has now been developed into a feature-length documentary. Filmmakers Gabriela Osio Vanden and Jack Weisman return to Churchill, Manitoba — affectionately known as the “Polar Bear Capital of the World.” There, polar bears are forced to navigate a human world of tourists, wildlife officers, and hunters as their ancient migration collides with modern life. When a sacred predator is branded a nuisance, it becomes unclear who truly belongs in this shared landscape. The result is a striking portrait of the fraught coexistence between polar bears and humans, guided by an Inuit narrator whose insights resist simplification.
„The Oldest Person in the World”, dir. Sam Green
Oscar® nominee Sam Green is one of MDAG’s longtime friends and a frequent festival guest, most recently appearing with 32 Sounds. This May, he will share with audiences a decade-long journey across the globe, following the lives of ever-changing record holders bearing the title of the world’s oldest living person. What begins as a portrait of longevity becomes a meditation on the passage of time, the randomness of fate, and the joy and profound human experience of being alive. The oldest human being on the planet is not someone you encounter suddenly, nor someone you know for long. With one of his most intimate films yet, Green returns to the Sundance Film Festival with his unique mixture of wry wit, earnest feeling, and formal play.
„Barbara Forever”, dir. Brydie O’Connor
Brydie O’Connor’s feature debut examines the life and work of Barbara Hammer, a pioneering queer experimental filmmaker. Drawing on over a hundred films, countless hours of unpublished material, photographs, letters, sketches, and Hammer’s own voice, the film explores her life, artistry, and lasting impact on queer cinema and experimental art. It shows how Hammer documented her body, identity, and experiences throughout her life, creating both a personal and social narrative aimed at “lasting forever.” Her work has inspired and laid the foundation for subsequent generations of queer filmmakers, shaping the future of queer cinema. The film builds on O’Connor’s earlier short project, Love Barbara (2022).
All films will have their Polish premieres during the 23rd edition of the Millennium Docs Against Gravity festival, taking place from 8 to 17 May 2026 in cinemas in Warsaw, Wrocław, Gdynia, Poznań, Katowice, Bydgoszcz, and Łódź, and online from 19 May to 1 June at mdag.pl. The event’s titular sponsor is Bank Millennium (https://www.bankmillennium.pl/).
