On Thursday, May 7, the ceremonial Opening Gala of the 23rd Millennium Docs Against Gravity will take place. The opening film is the award-winning and internationally screened “Closure” (Bez końca) by Michał Marczak. During the ceremony, we will also find out who will receive the Documentary Grand Prix FIPRESCI! This exceptional award will be granted for the first time in history by the International Federation of Film Critics, and the winning film was selected by members of the organization from around the world. The screening of the awarded film will take place on Saturday, May 9 at Kinoteka.
[Shot from the Opening Gala of the 22nd MDAG. Two men are speaking on stage, a woman is interpreting the speech into sign language]
Regular screenings as part of the 23rd MDAG film festival begin on May 8, in arthouse cinemas in seven cities in Poland: Warsaw, Wrocław, Gdynia, Katowice, Poznań, Bydgoszcz and Łódź.
Friday, May 8 | 18:00 | KINOTEKA 7 | WWF Award Ceremony
During the 23rd edition of the Millennium Docs Against Gravity 2026 festival, a special award granted by WWF Poland will be presented.
This is the distinction “WWF Poland Award - Voice for Living Planet,” which is not awarded to filmmakers, but to protagonists engaged in helping the environment. Its winners inspire protection and action for real change.
[A man sitting on a cliff; a mountain in the background.]
In 2026, the laureate is Andri Snær Magnason – a writer and activist from Iceland, known, among other things, for climate advocacy. He is also the protagonist of the film “Time and Water” directed by Sara Dosa, presented in the festival’s main competition.
Before the screening on May 8, 2026, at Kinoteka at 18:00, the official award ceremony will take place, and after the screening a meeting and discussion with the laureate and the director is planned.
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Saturday, May 9 | 16:00 | KINOTEKA 3 | Screening of the film awarded the Documentary Grand Prix FIPRESCI
[Graphic announcing the Documentary Grand Prix FIPRESCI award; Millennium Docs Against Gravity and FIPRESCI logos; in the photo a full cinema hall during the Opening Gala of the 22nd MDAG]
This Saturday you will be able to watch the film awarded the Documentary Grand Prix – the most important distinction for a non-fiction film granted by the International Federation of Film Critics FIPRESCI. It brings together film journalists from all over the world. This is the first time the Federation will award the Grand Prix, and the prize will be presented annually at the MDAG festival!
Which of the following five nominated films we will see on Saturday will be revealed on May 7 during the Opening Gala.
The nominated titles are:
“2000 Meters to Andriivka”, dir. Mstyslav Chernov;
“Fiume o morte!”, dir. Igor Bezinović;
“Mr. Nobody Against Putin”, dir. David Borenstein, Pavel Talankin;
“Orwell: 2+2=5”, dir. Raoul Peck;
“The Perfect Neighbour”, dir. Geeta Gandbhir.
After the screening, there will be a meeting with the director of the winning film! The meeting will be hosted by Paola Casella, a film critic from Italy and deputy director of FIPRESCI.
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Wednesday, May 13 | 19:00 | Polish Radio Concert Studio named after Lutosławski | Concert: Joshua Eustis and Kelly Moran with the Polish Radio Orchestra perform “My Themersons”
[A young woman in a white T-shirt is playing the piano; the interior of the instrument is visible in the image.]
Joshua Eustis is a co-creator of music for the Oscar®-nominated film “Marty Supreme” collaborating with Apparat and Nine Inch Nails. Kelly Moran is a contemporary pianist known for collaborations with The Avalanches, FKA Twigs, and Yves Tumor. Two brilliant musicians together with a 40-person string orchestra will take us on an immersive journey through the soundtrack of the film “My Themersons” directed by Marcin Borchardt. On May 13 at 19:00 at the Polish Radio Concert Studio named after Lutosławski, they will perform their first-ever joint concert.
Tickets for the event are available at book.mdag.pl and on Bilety24.pl.
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MEETINGS WITH CREATORS AS PART OF THE THE BEST OF MDAG SECTION
All meetings will take place at Atlantic cinema B at 20:30.
SECTION AND TICKETS
On May 8, after the screening of the film WSZYSTKIE NIEPRZESPANE NOCE, director Michał Marczak will meet the audience. The film is an emotional portrait of a generation of twenty-year-olds born after 1989, put to a serious test of friendship. During the 23rd MDAG, the director will also present his new film – BEZ KOŃCA.
[Two men are walking along the beach, one has a headlamp on his head; behind them, closer to the water, a crowd of people.]
On May 9, after the screening of the film NADPRODUKCJA: TERROR KONSUMPCJI, director Erik Gandini and editor Johan Soderberg will meet the audience. They will also give a joint masterclass as part of MDAG Industry. NADPRODUKCJA: TERROR KONSUMPCJI is a moving story about consumerism, written in the language of music videos, propaganda, and advertising.
On May 10, after the screening of the film WULKAN MIŁOŚCI, director Sara Dosa will meet the audience. Her film is a love story about an extraordinary love triangle featuring the married couple Katia and Maurice Krafft and the volcanoes they adored. On screen, we will see protagonists who for a quarter of a century traveled to all the volcanoes they could find on our planet, becoming the most famous volcanologists in the world. They also died together – during a volcanic eruption in Japan in 1991. Director Sara Dosa will also present a new film at the festival – O CZASIE I WODZIE.
[A figure in a white suit is walking over rocks; behind them, a volcanic eruption.]
On May 11, after the screening of the film APOLONIA, APOLONIA, documenting the long-term relationship between the author and painter Apolonia Sokol, director Lea Glob will meet the audience. Apolonia is a representative of the Parisian bohemia, trying to gain recognition in the art world. The camera follows her on her path to success, also showing the difficulties faced by female artists. Lea Glob will serve this year on the jury of the MDAG Main Competition.
[A naked woman is lying in a bathtub filled with foamy water.]
After the screening of the film SERBKA on May 12, director Nebojša Slijepčević will meet the audience, who will serve this year on the jury of the MDAG Short Film Competition. SERBKA tells the story of preparations for the play “Aleksandra Zec” – the story of a 12-year-old Serb girl murdered in 1991. We follow rehearsals, dramaturgical exercises, and the private preparations of the actors, who, as the premiere approaches, begin to experience conflicts.
On May 13, after the film POSKROMIONY OGRÓD, telling the story of… a tree, director Salomé Jashi will meet the audience, who will serve this year on the jury of the Green Warsaw Award Competition. Collecting trees is an eccentric hobby of former Georgian prime minister Bidzina Ivanishvili, and the fate of one of his trees can be observed on screen, from the very first moments listening to the silent cry of nature.
On May 14, after the screening of the film NATURALNA DZIKOŚĆ SERCA, director Silje Jacobsen will meet the audience. The documentary tells the story of a family with four children living a peaceful life on a Norwegian farm, whose peace is disrupted by painful events. The protagonists must confront loss and change. The inclusion of private archives emphasizes the psychological dimension of the passage of time. Director Silje Jacobsen will also present a new film at the 23rd MDAG – TAJEMNICZY PREZENT.
[A boy sitting on a pile of wood raises his hands upwards, surrounded by trees.]
On May 16, after the film WALC Z WALDHEIMEM, presenting the controversy surrounding the election of Kurt Waldheim as President of Austria in 1986, director Ruth Beckermann will meet the audience. WALC Z WALDENEM is the story of revealing Kurt Waldheim’s membership in the Nazi SA and service in the Wehrmacht in the Balkans. The director will also present a new film in the Main Competition – POMIĘDZY WOSKIEM I ZŁOTEM.
The festival is for everyone!
[Two boys illuminated by colorful light are browsing the MDAG catalog; one is wearing a tall, multicolored hat.]
At the MDAG festival, everyone is welcome. The festival makes every effort toward accessibility so that the space is as comfortable as possible for all viewers. During this year’s edition, all films in the Main Competition will have audio description (AD) available in the free Kino Dostępne 2.0 app. There will also be screenings with subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing (SDH). Selected accompanying events will be translated into Polish Sign Language (PJM), and people with disabilities will be able to use assistance in reaching the festival and early boarding before screenings begin. Accompanying persons of people with disabilities enter the festival free of charge. Anyone who feels the need for psychological support can also use the Wellbee support line available throughout the festival. All information about architectural accessibility, parking locations for people with disabilities, as well as photos and directions can be found in the festival pre-guide on the mdag.pl website.
Contact
SMS/phone: +48 579 754 101
E-mail: julia@againstgravity.pl
Julia is the accessibility coordinator who will answer your questions and help with organizing your visit to the cinema.
More information in the Accessibility tab on the mdag.pl website
ACCESIBILITY
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 sponsor of the event is Bank Millennium (https://www.bankmillennium.pl/).
