We now know the nominations for the European Film Awards. This year, a groundbreaking decision was made regarding documentary cinema: films competing for the title of Best European Documentary will also automatically compete for the title of Best European Film. This is a tremendous show of support and recognition for documentary filmmakers.
The Artistic Director of MDAG, Karol Piekarczyk, commented on these changes: "This is a very significant moment for the European film industry. As of this year there is not just a separate Documentary category at the European Film Awards but documentary films are also in the race for the prize of the Best European Film. Such a shift in thinking, seeing that the best film is not synonymous with fiction film is a message of support to all the documentary filmmakers, of recognition of all their work and of the impact that their films have on European audiences. For an industry which is shifting, adapting and responding to what is happening within Europe and around the world it is vital, now more than ever, to also look at the documentary world. For example, in terms equality and representation, we need to ask ourselves how can we implement some of the positive practices from documentary cinema and festivals which showcase it and apply them to the industry as a whole.
And, of course, we are elated that nominated for the title of the Best European Film are four titles which we screened at Millennium Docs Against Gravity – No Other Land, In Limbo, Soundtrack to a Coup D’Etat and Sultana’s Dream. With No Other Land being the recipient of the Grand Prix at MDAG and being recommended for the European Film Awards by our festival".
To celebrate the announcement of the nominations, we have good news: from November 6, the film In Limbo by Alina Maksimenko will be available on our platform vod.mdag.pl! It’s a cinematic record of the first days of the war in Ukraine, an intimate portrait of a family trying to survive in dramatic circumstances and a constant state of threat.
The film’s producer, Filip Marczewski, comments on the nomination: "I see the EFA nomination not only as a great honor for us, the creators of this film, but also as a clear, strong message of support from the European film community for the people of Ukraine fighting for their freedom. From the start, we believed that this intimate portrayal of the conflict in Ukraine, shown from a perspective entirely different from the one we see on our laptops, phones, or TVs, was of utmost importance to us at the Wajda School and Studio. I’m thrilled, as the nominations for In Limbo in such significant categories clearly show that it’s not just important to us."
In Limbo had its world premiere at the Visions du Réel festival. Its national premiere took place in the Polish Competition and First Appearance Award Competition at the Millennium Docs Against Gravity festival, which nominated it for the Doc Alliance Award 2024. It won this year's Golden Grape at the Lubuskie Summer Film Festival in Łagów in the Documentary Film Competition, as well as the Grand Prize at the DMZ International Documentary Film Festival in South Korea. It was also shown at the International Documentary and Animated Film Festival DOK Leipzig 2024 (in the Doc Alliance Award section), the Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival (in the Constellations section), the DokuBaku International Documentary Film Festival 2024 in Azerbaijan, the Doc Lisboa International Film Festival (Portuguese premiere), the Cork International Film Festival in Ireland, the Warsaw Film Festival, and the Ukraina! Film Festival in the documentary competition.
The winners of the European Film Awards will be announced on December 7 during a gala in Lucerne, Switzerland.
