The fifth day of the festival is upon us. Halfway through. This is the moment when we're navigating the cinemas with increasing ease, the extensive program no longer overwhelming us, as we've become familiar with it and heard recommendations from friends. The first delights, emotional tears, and post-screening conversations have somewhat acclimated us to the festival reality. We're getting used to life in the festival rhythm. However, let's not slow down too much and let's not cling to the first selections in the festival calendars. Especially since the world premieres of unmissable documentaries await you at MDAG. Every year, we're thrilled and immensely proud that the great names of documentary cinema choose MDAG and present their latest films here. Thanks to this, our audiences, the first in the world, can experience the world through the lens of the masters.
Tonight, at 8:30 PM, at Kinoteka 3, just such a moment will take place – the world premiere of "Cooking up Democracy", directed by the masterful Monika Treut. This is the inspiring story of Taiwanese activists who, in the face of growing authoritarian sentiments around the world, are creating a community based on equality and dialogue.
After the screening, join us for a Q&A with the filmmakers – Monika Treut (director), Dirk Manthey (producer), Hui-Cheng Huang (producer), and Robert Falckenberg (cinematographer).
Aleksandra Czerwonka
Press Office of the 23rd MDAG
Tuesday
Tuesday, May 12th | 6:00 PM | KINOTEKA 4 | Screening of the film "The Librarians" + discussion: "Forbidden Literature. Freedom of Speech in an Age of Authoritarianism"
Partner: Polish PEN Club
A moving portrayal of contemporary America, reminiscent of a dystopia straight out of "Fahrenheit 451." Librarians from small towns across the US become defenders of democracy, risking their jobs and safety to defend freedom of speech and access to knowledge.
The film will be followed by a discussion with Agnieszka Graff and Tacina Niadbaj. During the discussion, we will consider whether the American situation depicted in the film "The Librarians" and in the geographically closer Belarus threatens freedom of speech and access to literature in Europe and Poland.
Agnieszka Graff – Polish writer, translator, and journalist associated with the feminist movement, literary scholar, habilitated doctor of humanities, and professor at the American Studies Center at the University of Warsaw. Author of the acclaimed book "A World Without Women."
Taciana Niadbaj – Belarusian poet, translator, and human rights activist. Chairwoman of the Council of the Belarusian House of Human Rights named after Barys Zvozskav and President of the Board of the Belarusian PEN.
Tickets
Tuesday, May 12th | 6:15 PM | KINOTEKA 3 | Screening of "Fyling Scents - Of Plants & People" + Q&A with the director
A cinematic journey into the world of invisible scents and chemical signals that govern plant life. A Swiss research team led by the distinguished neurobiologist and chemist Consuelo De Moraes is on the verge of discovering florigen – a substance responsible for the immediate flowering of plants. Columnist and researcher Florianne Koechlin uncovers the surprising "language" of scents, which allows plants to warn each other of threats or attract pollinators with extraordinary precision. How will these new discoveries impact delicate ecosystems, and can humans harness them without harming the shared world of plants, animals, and humans?
The screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Antshi von Moos (director).
Tickets
Tuesday, May 12th | 8:30 PM | KINOTEKA 3 | Screening of "Cooking Up Democracy" + Q&A with the director
While many democracies around the world are in crisis, Taiwan stands out for its resilience in the face of China's digital autocracy. Narrated by former Minister of Digital Affairs Audrey Tang, the film portrays a dynamic community of Taiwanese activists: queer people, feminists, and social innovators co-creating a pluralistic vision of community. We meet Zo and Tiffany, who run their own tea shop, Grassland; Tongo and his mother, who are active in the LGBTQ+ group Hotline; Brian and Yo-Ling from Daybreak; and Yi-Chien and Shu-Wen, who fight for gender equality.
The screening will be followed by a Q&A with Monika Treut (director), Dirk Manthey (producer), Hui-Cheng Huang (producer), and Robert Falckenberg (cinematographer).
Tickets
[Two people walk along a sidewalk along a brick wall on a sunny day. A green belt and trees are visible to the left.]
Tuesday, May 12th | 6:00 PM | MURANÓW GERARD | Screening of "Not Made For Politics" + Q&A with the director
The film follows the lives of three Belarusian women: Sviatlana, Nadzeya, and Masha, whose husbands are political prisoners. Faced with Alexander Lukashenko's brutal regime, they have become the leading voices of protest and hope during the wave of protests that have gripped Belarus since 2020. Director Volia Chajkouskaya, herself living in exile in Estonia, combines a personal perspective with a collective narrative. Unable to return to her homeland, she becomes both narrator and witness to resistance, documenting solidarity actions and her own struggles with fear and exclusion. It is an intimate portrait of courage in the shadow of authoritarianism and patriarchal tyranny, and a reflection on how art and documentary film become acts of resistance when the world seems silent.
After the screening there will be a meeting with the director Volia Chajkouskaya.
Tickets
[Close-up of a woman with short hair looking up hopefully in a dense crowd on a sunny day.]
Tuesday, May 12th | 8:00 PM | ATLANTIC A | Screening of "Heart of Light - 11 Songs for Fiji" + Q&A with the director
After years spent in Scotland, Iona returns to her family home in Fiji, seeking answers to questions about her feelings of alienation in Europe. The film is a speculative autobiography, a hybrid of documentary and fiction. The director spent her youth in Fiji, and now her alter ego – Tilda Swinton – weaves together all the threads and levels of this film's story of homecoming, loss, and life lessons, often shot in places she remembers and which have changed significantly.
Tickets
Tuesday, May 12th | 6:00 PM | KINOMUZEUM MSN | Screening of "Elements of(f) Balance" + Q&A with the director and editor
In the face of global threats and ecological challenges, the film takes us on an extraordinary journey through ecosystems we may not have known before. It features scientists and farmers from diverse cultures, speaking different languages, who present a vision of cooperation and innovation. The film asks: Can ecological interdependence prevent us from a dystopian future? Stunning shots on land and water not only offer hope but also remind us why protecting and saving our planet is so crucial today.
Tickets
Tuesday, May 12th | 8:30 PM | KINOMUSEUM MSN | Screening of "Shifting Baselines" + Q&A with the director
Where the Rio Grande flows into the sea, sand dunes attract rare seabirds and the last wild ocelots in the United States. However, the marshes have been drained, beaches closed, and homes sold to make way for the new SpaceX launch facility. We observe how local communities in Boca Chica experience conflicting emotions: on the one hand, they admire the fascinating rocket launches and dreams of space exploration, and on the other, they witness the destruction of the natural environment and the disappearance of wildlife. The film depicts the dramatic contrast between technological progress and the fragility of the ecosystem, forcing us to reflect on the true cost of development.
Tickets
WEDNESDAY
Wednesday, May 13 | 6:00 PM | Luna A | Screening: "Confessions of a Swedish Man" + Q&A with director and producer
A Swedish single father and feminist attends a conservative men's retreat in Denmark. He attempts to understand the anger of the men participating. His journey turns into a personal crisis where he questions his role as a man, a father, and his relationship with his own father. This marks the beginning of six years of immersion in the so-called "manosphere," leading him to a fundamental reflection: what happens to a man – and indeed to any human being – when the concept of masculinity is questioned? The film portrays an online space where misogyny and a sense of victimhood spread through social media.
The screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Hampus Linder and producer Helene Granvist.
Tickets
Wednesday, May 13 | 6:00 PM | Iluzjon Stolica | Screening: "To Hold a Mountain" + Q&A with directors
In the highest parts of the Sinjajevina plateau in Montenegro, Gara and her thirteen-year-old daughter Nada return to their family pastures every year. Following the rhythm set by nature, they maintain a fragile continuity of tradition and memory. They graze animals, gather herbs, and live in closeness with the mountain they call "Mother." This order is disrupted when the government announces plans to establish a NATO-backed military training ground on the land. In the face of this threat, Gara emerges as a leader of the local community, becoming the face of resistance against the militarization of the landscape. The film tells a story of a bond with a place, female strength, and perseverance against modern forms of dominance.
The screening will be followed by a Q&A with directors Biljana Tutorov and Petar Glomazić.
The film is available with Audio Description (AD) and Polish voice-over. Screenings with Subtitles for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (SDH) will also be held. A full list of events and more information can be found in the "Accessibility" tab.
Contact:
SMS/Tel: +48 579 754 101
Email: julia@againstgravity.pl
Tickets
[A frame showing a profile of a young woman in the foreground and a person riding a white horse in the background, against a vast, mountainous landscape.]
Wednesday, May 13 | 6:15 PM | KINOTEKA 1 | Screening: "The Mystery Package" + Q&A with director and protagonists
For over 20 years, a mysterious package from Arendal full of gifts for the whole family has arrived at the Sandnes home in Valldal, Norway, every Christmas. Despite numerous attempts, investigations, and media interest, the sender remains unknown. This Christmas, grandchildren Edle and Brage decide to solve the mystery once and for all. Together with their father Magnus and mother Silje – a documentarian and the film's director – they set out on a detective expedition to discover who is behind this extraordinary gift. This fun family adventure quickly leads to a deeper, moving story. The first package appeared the year Magnus’s older brother, Hans Petter, died tragically. The children’s investigation uncovers family ties, the memory of loss, and the emotions that shape their lives.
The screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Silje Evensmo Jacobsen and the protagonists.
Tickets
Wednesday, May 13 | 6:15 PM | Muranów Gerard | Screening: "Benita" + Q&A with director
The film is an intimate portrait of director Benita Raphan, who died by suicide during the COVID-19 pandemic. She directed several beautiful short films exploring the relationship between mental health, innovation, and creativity. Alan Berliner patiently sifted through her personal archive – full of films, outtakes, notes, drawings, and photographs – and made a remarkable discovery that changed his perspective on Benita’s life, work, and death. Part anatomy of a suicide and part personal story of a life thrown off balance by extreme pandemic isolation, the film is a portrait of a filmmaker captured by another filmmaker, and a story about the very process of creating moving images.
The screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Alan Berliner.
Tickets
Wednesday, May 13 | 8:30 PM | Atlantic B | THE BEST OF MDAG: Screening: "Taming the Garden" + Q&A with director
Former Georgian Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili is a multi-billionaire with an eccentric hobby: he collects ancient trees from various corners of the world for his garden. The film follows the fate of one such tree. The director refrains from commentary, giving a voice instead to the plants, machines, and people. She observes the entire proceeding with cool detachment, while extracting a terrifying beauty from monumental wide shots and long, contemplative takes that depict the clash between nature and man.
The screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Salomé Jashi.
The film is presented as part of the "Cinema as Laboratory V" project, co-financed by the Foundation for Polish-German Cooperation.
Tickets
[Wide aerial shot of a large green tree being transported on a barge across a calm, open sea.]
Wednesday, May 13 | 8:30 PM | KINOTEKA 3 | Screening: "La belle année" + Discussion: "Forgotten_Remembered_Imagined: The Sapphic Experience"
Following her father's death, director Angelica Ruffier returns to her family home in Morières-lès-Avignon to empty it. While sorting through belongings—both material and memories—images of one of the most important relationships of her youth begin to resurface: a lonely but incredibly intense love for her history teacher, Mrs. S. As the list of tasks related to settling the past grows, so does Angelica's desire to meet her again. She seeks a way to understand the meaning of her feelings and ground them in the present. The film takes the viewer on the protagonist's emotional journey, telling a story about the power of memory, longing, and the attempt to come to terms with one's past.
The screening will be followed by the discussion: "Forgotten_Remembered_Imagined: The Sapphic Experience".
Partners: Sistrum, LESWEDNESDAYS, QueerMuzeum
Wednesday, May 13 | 8:45 PM | KINOTEKA 1 | Screening: "Two Mountains Weighing Down My Chest" + Q&A with director
A 32-year-old aspiring artist operates between two starkly different worlds: the alternative, chaotic, and progressive scene of the German capital, and the traditional, conservative, and orderly family life in China. Every return home forces her to redefine her identity. With lightness and self-irony, the film portrays the experience of cultural clash and speaks of migration not as a one-time gesture, but as an ongoing process.
The screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Viv Li.
The film is presented as part of the "Cinema as Laboratory V" project, co-financed by the Foundation for Polish-German Cooperation. The film is available with Audio Description (AD) and Polish voice-over. There will also be screenings with Subtitles for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (SDH), and the Q&A will be interpreted into Polish Sign Language (PJM).
Contact
SMS/Tel: +48 579 754 101
Email: julia@againstgravity.pl
Tickets
The 23rd edition of MDAG will take place from May 8 to 17, 2026, in cinemas in Warsaw, Wrocław, Gdynia, Poznań, Katowice, Bydgoszcz, and Łódź, and from May 19 to June 1 online at mdag.pl! The titular sponsor of the event is Bank Millennium (https://www.bankmillennium.pl/).
