Searching for our place on Earth. Green Warsaw Award and WWF Poland Award at the 23rd MDAG
During this year’s edition of Millennium Docs Against Gravity, the Green Warsaw Award of 15,000 PLN for the Best Film on ecological themes will once again be granted. The funder of the award is the Capital City of Warsaw. The competition is accompanied by the film section Climate for Change, whose patron is WWF Poland. The organization, which has cooperated with MDAG for years, will also present its distinction: WWF Poland Award – Voice for the Living Planet. It is the only award granted to a protagonist and not to the creators. This year it will be received by Andri Snær Magnason during a screening at the beginning of the festival – on May 8 at Kinoteka.
The 23rd MDAG will take place from May 8 to 17, 2026 in cinemas in seven cities (Warsaw, Wrocław, Gdynia, Poznań, Katowice, Łódź and Bydgoszcz) and from May 19 to June 1 online at mdag.pl! It is the largest Polish film festival and the second largest documentary film festival in Europe, which gathered over 181 thousand viewers in 2025.
Who is the laureate of the WWF Poland Award?
The WWF Poland Award – Voice for the Living Planet is an award that recognizes courage, honesty and unwavering commitment to the protection of biodiversity and our planet. It highlights attitudes that inspire others to act for nature and real change.
This year’s winner of the award is Andri Snær Magnason – an Icelandic writer, activist and the protagonist of the film “Time and Water” by Sarah Dosa, which takes part in the Main Competition.
On Friday, May 8 at 18:00 at Kinoteka, the official award ceremony will take place, and after the screening of the film we invite you to a discussion with the winner and the film’s director.
[Mężczyzna siedzi na klifie i patrzy się w dal. W tle ośnieżona góra]
“We present the WWF Poland Award – Voice for the Living Planet, intended not for a filmmaker, but for a protagonist, because we want to distinguish people able to speak on behalf of nature and inspire reflection. These people move us with their determination and sensitivity, telling about what is fragile, transient and priceless – our planet. They remind us how important its protection is before it is too late” – Aneta Stańczak-Boużyk, Director of Communications Department, WWF Poland Foundation.
WWF debate at MDAG
In turn, on May 15 at 18:00 at Kinoteka, after the screening of the film “Dreams of Elephants” by Werner Herzog, the discussion “Do you have to go to the end of the world to discover nature?” will take place under the patronage of WWF Poland.
[Czarno-białe zdjęcie; kilka słoni w lesie, otaczają je drzewa i mgła]
The film “Ghost Elephants” directed by Werner Herzog tells about a fascinating expedition following mysterious elephants in Angola and about the human need to discover the unknown in the world of nature. But to experience this fascination, do we have to set off to the other end of the world? During the debate, we will consider where our need to be close to nature and observe its secrets comes from. We will talk about the fact that the mysteries of nature often begin just beyond the threshold of our home – in the forest, by the river, in the park or even on a city balcony. We will try to answer the question of how to rediscover wild nature around us and why attentive observation of nature can be the beginning of a deeper relationship with it. It is a conversation about curiosity about the world, about delight in nature and about how each of us can experience its extraordinariness every day.
The discussion will be led by Dariusz Gatkowski, advisor to the management board for biodiversity at WWF Poland, and will be joined by Kasper Jakubowski, creator of Forest Maker, and Paweł Łusiak, President of the Management Board of the Academy for the Development of Philanthropy in Poland Association.
Which films qualified for the Green Warsaw Award Competition?
The jury of the competition for the best ecological film during the largest Polish film festival this year consists of Salomé Jashi, a director and author of the film “Taming the Garden”, Leszek Drogosz – deputy director of the Infrastructure Office of the Capital City of Warsaw – and Orina Krajewska, who is an actress, writer and podcaster.
[Dwóch młodych mężczyzn płynie na tratwie, którą odpychają od brzegów długimi kijami; w tle rośliny]
The competition lineup includes, among others, the film “Elements of(f) Balance” by Othmar Schmiderer. It takes us on a journey through ecosystems and various cultures that, in the face of global challenges, implement innovative solutions in ecology.
[Maszyna trzyma stworzenie głębinowe, w tle dno zbiornika wodnego]
The protagonists of another film set off as far as the depths of the Pacific to protect creatures threatened by human activity. “How Deep Is Your Love” by Eleanor Mortimer is a story about young scientists who explore the depths of the ocean to discover unknown forms of life. Their research may protect the ocean – and its delicate and beautiful fauna and flora – from excessive mineral exploitation.
However, the expansion of the natural environment is currently not limited only to our planet. In Boca Chica, where the Rio Grande flows into the sea, the infamous SpaceX has bought out residential areas to make room for a new rocket launch site. “Shifting Baselines” by Julien Elie explores the conflicting emotions experienced by the inhabitants of this place – on the one hand they admire the fascinating rocket launches and dream of space exploration, on the other – they witness the destruction of the natural environment and the disappearance of wildlife.
[Zdjęcie w odcieniach szarości; na pierwszym planie brzeg morski, na nim stoi czapla; na drugim planie rakieta]
Juma Xipaia, the first Secretary for Indigenous Peoples’ Rights in Brazil, after six assassination attempts on her life undertakes another battle against illegal gold mining. “Yanuni” by Richard Ladkani is a moving appeal to protect the world’s largest rainforest and the rights of the indigenous people who inhabit it.
[Kobieta w środku lasu. Ma na twarzy rysunki i patrzy się w dal]
The titular “Nuisance Bear”, dir. Gabriela Osio Vanden, Jack Weisman, also confronts the expansion of humans into its natural habitat. It moves among tourists, guards and hunters, who often consider it a nuisance, although this place lies on its natural migration route. The narrative, conducted from the perspective of an Inuit narrator, observes this dynamic, forcing the viewer to reflect and placing confrontation above moralizing.
[Biały niedźwiedź polarny wynurza się z wody]
Tony Jones in the film “Sentient” takes the audience behind the closed doors of laboratories, where experiments on animals are still commonplace. For some, the scientists working there are monsters, and for others, the development of science would not exist without their work. The film asks whether harming animals in the name of science can be justified, while presenting the arguments and emotions of both sides.
[Dwie osoby trzymają małpę; jedna osoba pobiera próbkę z ust małpy, druga trzyma ją za kark]
However, not only animals have the ability to feel, as shown by the film “Flying Scents – Of Plants & People”, dir. Antshi von Moos. Its creators follow researchers, artists and experts whose discoveries and actions prove that plants are also conscious beings. The film raises the question of how new discoveries will affect delicate ecosystems and whether humans can use them without harm to the shared world of plants, animals and people.
[Pszczoła siedzi na różowej kuli; w tle białe pomieszczenie i inne kule w różnych kolorach]
Nikolaus Geyrhalter, in turn, takes us on a journey to places where snow and ice shape the conditions of human existence, and the people living in these regions talk about how their world is changing. “Melt” balances between fascination with this world and the melancholy of the inevitable loss of these landscapes, showing the processes of melting ice and snow and the illusory nature of artificial snow.
[Wnętrze lodowej groty; w tle linia brzegowa i grupa ludzi]
But can we somehow repair our relationship with nature? “Trillion”, dir. Victor Kossakovsky, is a minimalist and poetic film, showing the majesty of the landscape, the play of light and the subtle gesture of the artist K49814, who, by throwing fish scales into the sea, wishes to “apologize” to it.
[Kobieta wygląda zza skały, patrzy na morze. Obok niej stoi jutowy worek]
The competition lineup is closed by the hopeful film “Whispers in the Woods”. Vincent Munier, director of “The Velvet Queen”, this time will take viewers on a journey to the ancient forests of France. Munier sets off in search of animals living in the woods and together with a father and son “listens” to the forest. It is a story about building closeness with nature, family bonds and shared experience.
[Trzy osoby stoją w środku ciemnego lasu]
START OF SALES OF THE FESTIVAL PASSES AND ACCREDITATIONS
The launch of sales of festival passes as well as media and industry accreditations for the 23rd edition of MDAG in Warsaw has already started! Sales are available at book.mdag.pl and will continue until May 1 or until passes sell out.
BUY A FESTIVAL PASS OR AN ACCREDITATION
Festival passes are available for 350 PLN at: https://book.mdag.pl/pl/karnety. Detailed information about how the pass works can be found here: https://book.mdag.pl/pl/strona/jak-dziala-twoj-karnet. The pass grants access to a true cinematic feast, featuring over 170 high-quality documentary productions from around the world in this year’s program.
All representatives of the media and film industry are encouraged to apply for media or industry accreditation. To obtain accreditation, please complete the form available at: https://book.mdag.pl/pl/akredytacje. The accreditation fee is 270 PLN. Applicants will be informed about the decision within a few days of submitting the application. All relevant information can be found at: https://book.mdag.pl/pl/strona/jak-dziala-twoja-akredytacja
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 title patron of the event is Bank Millennium (https://www.bankmillennium.pl/).
