For the seventh time, as part of the Polish MDAG Competition, films that take your breath away will be presented. These are titles awarded at the most important international festivals. Many of them will have their world premieres during the 23rd edition of Millennium Docs Against Gravity. This year, the Competition will feature ten outstanding films competing for three awards – the Best Polish Film Award, the Best Production Award from Smakjam studio, and the Polish Arthouse Cinemas Association Award.
The 23rd MDAG will take place from May 8 to May 17, 2026, in cinemas across seven cities (Warsaw, Wrocław, Gdynia, Poznań, Katowice, Łódź, and Bydgoszcz), and online from May 19 to June 1 at mdag.pl!
This year, we will present the latest works by creators who have been shaping the history of Polish cinema for years. “Body (of War)” by Małgorzata Szumowska is a film about how war inscribes itself into bodies, art, and identity. Michał Marczak tells the widely discussed story of Krzysztof Dymiński, who went missing by the Vistula River, in “Bez końca”, while Marcin Borchardt revisits the legacy of a legendary artistic duo through their protégé, Jasia, in “My Themersons”. “Candidates of Death”, directed by Maciej Cuske, is a film about male friendship – what he himself calls his opus magnum, a project he worked on for… 17 years. “Freak Show” by Łukasz Ronduda and Michał Pawlak, in turn, tells the story of a group of artists with disabilities who prepared a performance for the opening of Warsaw’s Museum of Modern Art. Traditionally, my selection will also include Polish co-productions. The moving Ukrainian-Polish film “Traces”, directed by Alisa Kovalenko and Marysia Nikitiuk, captivated audiences at Berlinale. It tells the story of Ukrainian women documenting war crimes of a sexual nature committed by Russians. The Polish-Italian production “Ewa – The Last Lesson” portrays the story of Ewa Benesz, a legendary actress of the Grotowski Theatre. There will also be no shortage of debut works. Mo Tan, the unforgettable protagonist of “Letters from Wilcza”, will once again captivate audiences – this time returning to MDAG with the energetic and intimate debut “Confessions of a Mole”. Mikołaj Janik will present “Arek. Mama, Panorama”, whose protagonist, Arek Pasożyt, is a documentary reincarnation of Zorba the Greek.
– Wojciech Diduszko, Director of The Polish Competition
“Bigger Picture” (Arek.Mama.Panorama), dir. Mikołaj Janik | WORLD PREMIERE
Artist Arek Parasite really has it uphill. To face his problems, he sets off for the Tatras. There, he discovers a clue to the largest painting in Polish history (115x16m!) – the monumental Panorama of the Tatras, lost over 130 years ago.
“Bodies (Of War)” (Ciało wojny), dir. Małgorzata Szumowska, Michał Englert | WORLD PREMIERE
A visually driven documentary exploring how war inscribes itself on the body, art, and identity through three interwoven stories. The film explores war across different dimensions – the body, art, and lived experience.
“Candidates of Death” (Kandydaci śmierci), dir. Maciej Cuske | POLISH PREMIERE
The decade-long process of creating an amateur horror film under the mysterious title Candidates of Death by a group of friends becomes the starting point for discreet observation of their growing up.
“Closure” (Bez końca), dir. Michał Marczak | POLISH PREMIERE
Daniel did not hear his son Krzysiek leaving the house and heading to the bridge over the Vistula, where he was last seen. A camera captured him – and then he disappeared: either he jumped into the river or walked off the bridge.
“Confessions of a Mole” (Wyznania pieprzyka), dir. Mo Tan | POLISH PREMIERE
After years in Poland, filmmaker Mo Tan returns to China. A fortune teller’s warning about a mole sparks a family feud. Amidst a cancer diagnosis and a fracturing family, this raw tragicomedy asks: can we outrun fate, or is it etched on our skin?
“Ewa – The Last Lesson” (Ewa – ostatnia lekcja), dir. Andrea Mura, Federico Savonitto | INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE
After more than 40 years of artistic research in Italy Ewa Benesz decided to write her memories and return to Poland. How will her knowledge be transmitted? What will remain of a life spent in theatre work?
“Freak Show”, dir. Łukasz Ronduda, Filip Pawlak | WORLD PREMIERE
A cinematic tale about a group of diverse young artists with disabilities who challenge expectations and aesthetics – reality blends with art, fiction, and provocation, leading to a surprising finale.
“My Themersons” (Moi Themersonowie), dir. Marcin Borchardt | WORLD PREMIERE
Built from archival materials, this essay film reflects on war, language and love through the perspective of a child and two artists for whom creation becomes a strategy of survival.
“The Current” (Nurt), dir. Rafał Skalski | WORLD PREMIERE
41 years ago, eleven adventurers attempted descent of the Amazon River, from its source to its mouth. Only four reached the end. Told through Kate, the expedition’s only woman, The Current reveals a psychological struggle in a male-dominated group.
“Traces” (Ślady), dir. Alisa Kovalenko, Marysia Nikitiuk | POLISH PREMIERE
“Traces” bears witness to the resilience and solidarity of women. The film follows Iryna Dowhan as she documents the experiences of women affected by violence, revealing how they transform pain into the power of truth, justice, and mutual support.
