MDAG Industry and MDAG Vision
April marks the final stretch on the road to MDAG. This year, once again, two integral elements of the festival will take place at the State Ethnographic Museum. As part of MDAG Vision (May 8–17, 2026), XR screenings will explore how what was once science fiction may soon become our everyday reality. The exhibition is free of charge.
The 23rd MDAG will take place from May 8 to 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!
The participants of this year's MDAG Industry have been revealed!
MDAG Industry (May 7–11, 2026) is the event of the year for the documentary film industry. As many as 11 projects have been selected for the Progress Pitching Session, and seven for the Short Pitch Program. We warmly congratulate those who will present their projects this year.
The 23rd MDAG will take place from May 8 to 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!
As many as five pitchings, creators and representatives of festivals, distributors, TV stations, and streaming platforms from all over the world. MDAG Industry has been rapidly growing over the past few years, becoming a birthplace for ambitious documentary films. In previous years, MDAG Industry has showcased projects that have gone on to achieve significant international success, including “Closure” (dir. Michał Marczak; world premiere at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, USA; Polish premiere – Millennium Docs Against Gravity), “My Dear Theo” directed by Alisa Kovalenko (world premiere: CPH:DOX 2025, Polish premiere: Millennium Docs Against Gravity 2025) and “Forest”, directed by Lidia Duda (world premiere: Thessaloniki Documentary Film Festival 2024, Polish premiere: Millennium Docs Against Gravity 2024).
The projects to be presented to the international jury during three pitchings have already been selected. The event will take place from May 7 to 11 at the State Ethnographic Museum as part of the 23rd edition of Millennium Docs Against Gravity.
PROGRESS PITCHING SESSION
A total of 11 projects have been selected for the Progress Pitching Session - ten were chosen by the festival’s selectors, and one received an MDAG award at Visioni Incontra in Milano, Italy. Among them are new films by Polish filmmakers such as Michał Bochniak, Łukasz Kowalski, and Jaśmina Wójcik, as well as international projects like the Georgian “This is Not My Sea” by Elene Mikaberidze and “Women of Peace: a journey into the war” by Keren Shayo, selected as part of a collaboration with DOCA – Documentary Association Georgia.
THE LAWYER, dir. Maciej Bochniak, prod. Klaudia Śmieja-Rostworowska, Kinga Tasarek (Madants)
NO MOTHERS LAND, dir. Wiktoria Davis, prod. Monika Braid (Braidmade Films), Wiktoria Davis, Sonja Henrici
THE ALGORITHM OF LIFE, dir. Piotr Stasik, prod. Daria Maślona (Silver Frame)
THIS IS NOT MY SEA, dir. Elene Mikaberidze, prod. Tatia Gurgenidze (Nushi Film)
NANGA DREAM, dir. Jarosław Wszędybył, prod. Karolina Śmigiel (Unisolo)
THE DIARY OF EXPERIENCES, dir. Dorota Roś, prod. Zofia Kujawska (Telemark)
A/TYPICAL (SHE/THEY), dir. Jaśmina Wójcik, prod. Marta Dużbabel (ATM grupa)
AFTER ROLL CALL. LEGIO PATRIA NOSTRA, dir. Sylwia Witowska, Piotr Wacowski, prod. Vicky Witowska, Sylwia Witowska
WOMEN OF PEACE: A JOURNEY INTO THE WAR, dir. Keren Shayo, prod. Sylvie Brenet (Les Films du Sillage)
CHILDREN OF THE BLACK GARDEN, dir. Łukasz Kowalski, prod. Anna Mazerant, Łukasz Kowalski (4.30 STUDIO)
LETTERS, dir. Andrei Kutsila, prod. Mirosław Dembiński (Doc Edu Foundation)
Qualified participants will receive training sessions with renowned industry experts, who will help them refine their presentations to make them more appealing to international decision-makers. This year, the tutors will be Kim Christiansen (DR Sales) and Martijn te Pas, who will prepare the participants for the pitching, as well as Tracie Holder, with whom they will refine their catalog texts. Following the pitching session, participants will take part in closed workshops covering: a case study of the Oscar campaign for “Mr Nobody Konta Putin” with Helle Faber (Made in Copenhagen) and Joanna Solecka; consultations on project dramaturgy with Atelier Scenariuszowe; table-based consultations on the festival circuit and working with a sales agent (Stephanie Fuchs, Autlook Filmsales) and a workshop on Social Sustainability in the Film Industry (Fatih Abay).
Tutors:
Tracie Holder – Film scholar, consultant, producer, and film funding specialist. She is a 2016 Sundance Creative Producers Fellow, teaches at the New York Film Academy, and serves on the jury of international competitions.
Kim Christiansen – Executive producer, and co-producer of the Oscar®-winning film “Mr Nobody against Putin”. He specializes in documentary films and co-productions at DR Sales. With over 20 years of experience in the documentary film industry (sales and acquisition of rights, commissioning, co-production), he has also served as Sales Director at TV 2 WORLD and Industry Director at CPH:DOX (in 2012 and 2013).
Martijn te Pas – Film programmer & Festival advisor. Martijn te Pas studied psychology, English literature, and film and television studies at the University of Amsterdam. From 2000 to 2019, he was part of the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) as a senior programmer. He also served as an advisor for the IDFA Bertha Fund and IDFA Forum.
SHORT PITCH PROGRAM
For the fourth time, in collaboration with the Czech Institute of Documentary Film, we are organizing the Short Pitch Program – a pitching session for short documentary films from the Central and Eastern European region.
List of selected projects:
NAPLES, FLORIDA, dir. Modesta Žemgulytė, prod. Akvilė Žilionytė-Khan (Artišokai)
EVENT HORIZON, dir. Jakub Gomółka, prod. Korek Bojanowski (Studio Munka)
LEFEK, dir. Tomasz Misiukiewicz, prod. Tomasz Misiukiewicz (Wajda School)
KYIV UNDER MY WHEELS, dir. Marina Baibarza, prod. Marina Baibarza (Process Films)
THE BELL BOY, dir. Akseli Leppänen, prod. Akseli Leppänen (Baltic Film and Media School)
WE HAD AN OATH, dir. Barbora Venclová, prod. Jitka Kotrlová
VICTORY DAY, dir. Wojciech Węglarz, prod. Jakub Orłoś (Fala Film)
The tutor and moderator of the pitching session will be Emilia Mazik.:
Emilia Mazik is the Head of Industry at Go Short – International Short Film Festival in Nijmegen, the Netherlands. She is also a member of the selection committee at Film Fest Gent (Belgium), curates the Industry Forum at Cinekid Festival (the Netherlands), and sits on the strategic board of Talking Shorts, an online magazine dedicated to the short film medium. Her previous roles include Festival Director at Short Waves Festival (Poland), Head of Industry at Kaboom Animation Festival (the Netherlands), and preselector at Glasgow Short Film Festival (Scotland).
MDAG CO-PRO
As part of this year's edition of MDAG Industry, for the first time, we are organizing MDAG CO-PRO - a new meeting platform aimed at developing international documentary co-productions. Each edition of the event will focus on Poland's cooperation with a selected European country, and our first partner is Sweden. The event connects film industry professionals from both countries. We invite both producers looking for foreign partners for their films and those looking for new projects to join as co-producers to participate in the presentations and meetings.
Partners: Polish Film Institute, Swedish Film Institute, Embassy of Sweden in Poland
Producers presenting projects:
Justyna Kluczewska, Małgorzata Prociak (Raban), BECOMING CHRISTINE GRANVILLE (dir. Sylwia Rosak), Poland
Mónica Hernández Rejón (PRÅMFILM), BOUNDARIES (dir. Victoria Verseau), Sweden
Setareh Lundgren (Meritis Film AB), ONE DAY WE’LL GO HOME (dir. Maryam Ebrahimi), Sweden
Marcin Wierzchowski / Dorothea Braun (Milk and Water), CITY OF PROPHETS (dir. Marcin Wierzchowski), Germany, Poland, Brazil
Krzysztof Woźniak (Transfer of Science), KRAINA CISZY / LAND OF SILENCE (dir. Szymon Kuriata), Poland
Melissa Lindgren (Story AB), MY FATHERS FACE (dir. Malin Ingrid Johansson), Sweden
Viktor Nordenskiöld (FreetownFilms), RENAISSANCE RISING (dir. Viktor Nordenskiöld), Sweden
Hanna Jewsiewicka (Durian Production House), RETIREMENT: NOT ON THE SETLIST (dir. Katarzyna Piórek), Poland
Paweł Jóźwiak-Rodan (UNSIN STUDIO), THE THIRD ONE (dir. Adela Kaczmarek), Poland
Daniéla Frykstrand / Elin Kamlert (Gunilla Film), THE FEMALE TRUCK DRIVERS OF UKRAINE (dir. Daniéla Frykstrand) / ANYWHERE BUT HERE (dir. Emilio Di Stefano), Sweden
Observing producers:
Adrianna Rędzia (Lumisenta), Poland
Aleksandra Szczęsna (Hasko Film), Poland
Weronika Mliczewska (YA MAN STUDIO), Poland
On April 21, we will publish the full program of industry events.
MDAG Industry is organized in collaboration with CANAL+ Polska. The section is co-financed by the Polish Film Institute. The partners of MDAG Industry are: Polish Filmmakers Association, Polish Producers Alliance, Andrzej Wajda Centre For Film Culture, CPH:DOX, Institute of Documentary Film, EAVE, Adam Mickiewicz Institute, Visioni dal Mondo, SoundMind, SMAKJAM, DOCA, Doc Alliance, Doc Alliance Network of Markets, Jacob Burns Film Center, Culture Without Barriers Foundation, Katarynka Foundation, Forum Without Barriers, Screenplay Atelier, State Ethnographic Museum, Arthouse Cinemas Association.
MDAG Industry. A Space for the Development of the Documentary Film Industry
MDAG Industry is a unique film industry event that connects Polish filmmakers with international festival representatives, distributors, producers, sales agents, and renowned stars of contemporary cinema. We started in 2021 with a single event, and since 2022 we have been developing an extensive industry program under the MDAG Industry banner. The MDAG Industry program responds to the current needs of the audiovisual market, keeping up with trends, anticipating changes, and embracing innovation.
VISIONI DAL MONDO 2026 CALL FOR ENTRIES
Our partner, the 12th International Documentary Festival Visioni dal Mondo, has officially opened its 2026 Call for Entries. The festival will be held in Milan from September 16th to 20th, 2026. This is a great opportunity to strengthen the synergy between Italy and Poland and to help promote high-quality Polish productions.
Among the open calls, we highlight the following competitive sections:
International Contest: Dedicated to international documentary films with a duration of over 65 minutes. The Contest is open to feature films that depict our globalized world, highlighting exceptional characters, fascinating collective actions, non-violent rebellions, and stories of hope. Both universal and personal narratives are welcome, spanning various genres and tones, from drama to comedy.
Visioni Incontra Contest (Industry Section): Aimed at industry professionals, this contest is open to documentary projects seeking funding. It features two categories: Final Development (for projects in pre-production or early production) and Work in Progress (for projects already in production or post-production).
The deadline for submissions is May 31st. Full regulations and entry procedures for each contest are available on the website: www.visionidalmondo.it
Experience what’s to come. MDAG Vision
This year’s MDAG Vision exhibition (May 8–17, 2026) invites visitors into a world where visions of the future have become tangible reality. The five featured works examine the need to search for identity and security in times of rapid change. By stimulating the imagination, the artists offer new survival scenarios, using a wide spectrum of media—from artificial intelligence and augmented reality to collective performance. It is an invitation to actively and sensorially step into a world that has already caught up with us.
All experiences are available exclusively in English. May 8–17, State Ethnographic Museum in Warsaw (1 Kredytowa Street) – free admission. Opening hours: 4:00–9:00 PM (weekdays) and 12:00–7:00 PM (weekends). During Museum Night (May 16), the exhibition will be open from 12:00 PM to 1:00 AM.
In times of radical uncertainty, speculation ceases to be merely the domain of science fiction – it becomes a form of social resilience. When the foundations of the world we know begin to crack, one of the survival tools becomes our ability to imagine future scenarios. This year’s MDAG Vision exhibition is an invitation to engage in collective speculation – one that is not so much an escape from reality as an attempt to equip ourselves with the emotional and intellectual tools for what lies ahead. All of the presented works share a common quest for a new definition of home – a concept which nowadays ranges from physical sanctuary through digital archive to planetary necessity.
In Liam Young’s visionary Planet City, a hyper-dense metropolis becomes a home, the sole refuge for 10 billion people, representing a radical renunciation of human domination of the planet in favour of its salvation. In Joanna Zabielska’s Postgranicze, by contrast, home and identity are rooted in the whispers of the Podlasie region, where, at the intersection of borders, personal testimonies intertwine with myths, reminding us that landscape shapes our memory just as powerfully as politics. Finally, in Lili, the domestic sanctuary transforms into a space of total surveillance, where a Shakespearean tragedy permeates a dark world of digital resistance, and the audience – taking on the role of hackers – must confront the mechanisms of complicity in evil.
In these speculative worlds, we are accompanied by non-human guides. In a room filled with the scent of earth and moss, we stand before Future Botanica, where ecology is no longer merely a struggle to preserve what once was, but a fascinating project of co-creating new forms of life at the intersection of code and nature. Meanwhile, in Ancestors, the smartphone becomes our guide through time, allowing the audience to take on the role of ancestors to people living two hundred years from now and building a bridge between today’s decisions and our collective future.
“Speculating on What Has Come” confronts us with a situation in which what yesterday seemed a safely distant hypothesis has today become a tangible reality. By engaging the senses in ways a static cinema experience cannot, the exhibition invites us to find our place in a world that has caught up to us – and which demands a new, somatic attentiveness.
– Anna Szylar, XR and MDAG Vision Artistic Curator
This year’s MDAG Vision exhibition (8–17 May 2026) invites you into a world where visions of the future become a tangible reality. The five presented works explore the need to seek identity and security in an era of rapid change. By stimulating the imagination, the artists offer new survival scenarios, utilising a wide spectrum of media: from artificial intelligence and augmented reality to collective performance. The exhibition offers an active, sensory entry into a world that has just caught up to us. All experiences are available in English only.
Future Botanica invites you to co-create an ecosystem that has emerged sooner than we anticipated. In this interactive augmented reality (AR) installation, the physical space – filled with moss and natural textures – serves as a foundation for digital evolution. Using a smartphone as a lens, participants can “sow” unique botanical forms, the DNA of which is shaped by algorithms and interaction with the environment.
Ancestors is a collective experience that challenges our ability to think long-term. Smartphones serve here as guides through scenarios of tomorrow, in which climate change, technological progress and social challenges are no longer distant speculations, but a reality that determines the fate of our descendants.
Planet City is a project that blends film, virtual reality and speculative architecture, challenging the logic of civilisation’s ceaseless expansion. Instead of continuing to exploit ecosystems, humanity decides to take a radical step – retreating into a single, hyper-dense metropolis. This visionary act of renunciation allows wildlife to flourish once more in areas previously ravaged by the global economy.
Postgranicze is a multi-layered world of speculative fiction, built on the foundation of our reality. The story is set in the forests of Podlasie – a place where the borders of Poland, Belarus and Ukraine converge, and the land seems to echo the voices of many histories and languages. The project prioritises poetic imagination over bare facts, creating a space for reflection on how places of memory and cultural fissures define our identity.
MDAG Vision and MDAG Industry will take place at the State Ethnographic Museum on May 8–17 and May 7–11, 2026, respectively. The 23rd MDAG will be held from May 8 to 17, 2026, in cinemas in Warsaw, Wrocław, Gdynia, Poznań, Katowice, Bydgoszcz, and Łódź, and online from May 19 to June 1 at mdag.pl. The title sponsor of the event is Bank Millennium ([https://www.bankmillennium.pl/](https://www.bankmillennium.pl/)).
