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In a week, on April 24, ticket sales for all festival screenings will launch on mdag.pl, cinema websites, and at box offices. That’s also when the screening schedule for all seven cities will be revealed. The exception is tickets for special events, which are already available for purchase online at book.mdag.pl. These include a charity stand-up show for Palestine, film screenings paired with dinners, a photography workshop, a live music screening, and not one but two opening galas! The double twos in the 22nd edition of MDAG call for – and deserve – two festive openings!
The first opening film, already announced, is the humor-filled Coexistence, My Ass! by Amber Fares – a story about different approaches to peacemaking between Israelis and Palestinians. The Opening Gala will take place on May 8 at Multikino Złote Tarasy in Warsaw at 7:30 PM. Since April 14, a limited number of tickets for the ceremony have been available, offering a chance to meet the film’s remarkable main character, Noam Shuster-Eliassi. A few last tickets are still up for grabs at book.mdag.pl.
BUY A TICKET FOR THE OPENING GALA IN MULTIKINO
The second opening film will be “Ernest Cole: Lost and Found”. The screening and discussion, under the patronage of Filmweb, will take place on May 8 at 18:30 at Kinoteka.
It is a portrait of an outstanding photographer seen through the eyes of an outstanding director. A fascinating cinematic story about the pursuit of freedom, art, a mysterious discovery, and the fight for equality. Together with special guests, we will trace the tumultuous life of Ernest Cole, one of the first Black independent photographers in South Africa. After fleeing South Africa in 1966, Cole settled in the United States, where he intensely photographed New York and the American South. He was fascinated by how the country could be radically different, yet disturbingly similar to the culture of racial segregation in his homeland. After his death, more than 60,000 35mm negatives, thought to be lost for decades, were discovered in a Swedish bank. This story becomes the starting point for the new film by Oscar®-nominated director Raoul Peck (“I Am Not Your Negro”).
“Ernest Cole: Photographer in Exile,” USA, 1971. © Ernest Cole / Magnum Photos
After the screening, two exceptional people will meet with the audience. Leslie Matlaisane is the nephew of the legendary South African photographer and chair of the Ernest Cole Family Trust. Irene Lombardo is a cultural manager at Magnum Photos. They will share more about the extraordinary story and context of the protagonist’s work. The meeting will be moderated by Łukasz Muszyński, editor-in-chief of Filmweb.
At the State Ethnographic Museum in Warsaw, from May 8 to August 31, an exhibition of the artist's work titled “Ernest Cole: Lens in Exile” will be on display. The exhibition was created in cooperation with the State Ethnographic Museum, Magnum Photos, the Autograph gallery, and the Ernest Cole Family Trust.
BUY A TICKET FOR THE OPENING GALA IN KINOTEKA
Launch of ticket sales for special events
In a week, on April 24, ticket sales for all festival screenings will begin on mdag.pl, the cinema websites, and at box offices. The screening schedule for all seven cities will also be published.
PURO Film to Table – screening and dinner inspired by the film
Join us for a unique culinary and cinematic experience that allows you to engage with film in an unusual and sensory way. After the screening of the Norwegian film “Folktales” we will take a walk to MUND restaurant at PURO hotel, specializing in Scandinavian cuisine, where a tasting dinner inspired by the film will encourage further conversation and reflection.
MENU
Amuse bouche
Starter
Pickled beetroot salad, chamomile-pickled pear, blackcurrant, lemon gel
Main course
Celeriac gnocchi, mushrooms, shallots, roasted salsify, lovage
Dessert
Cheesecake with Brunost cheese and white chocolate, raspberry sorbet
Glass of wine
(alcoholic or non-alcoholic version)
May 11, 16:30 and May 18, 16:30. Ticket price for the film and dinner: 210 PLN.
BUY TICKET, FIRST DATE (11.05)
BUY TICKET, SECOND DATE (18.05)
Charity stand-up for Palestine – Noam Shuster-Eliassi
An autobiographical stand-up show by the protagonist of “Coexistence, My Ass!” – the opening film of this year’s festival. An activist comedy performance where humor becomes a tool to explore complex political issues, question dominant social narratives, and promote equality. The performance covers a broad spectrum of topics – from growing up in a peaceful Israeli-Palestinian village, through the stand-up artist’s love life, to politics. As an activist and comedian, Noam satirically explores her multifaceted identity as an Iranian, a Jew, and an Israeli, prompting audiences to confront difficult truths that are not always funny – showing that dialogue and openness are possible.
All proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to the Clean Shelter foundation, which provides sanitation and shelter for displaced communities in Gaza. We encourage further support for the organization: https://www.cleanshelter.org/
Event in English only. May 11, 20:00, Kinoteka 7. Ticket price: 40 PLN (but we encourage higher donations to the charity).
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Screening of “Silent Observers” with live music
Immerse yourself in the world of a tiny Bulgarian village during a unique festival screening of “What the Animals Do When We're Not Looking”! The film’s three composers – Anil Eraslan, Jung Jae-Kim, and Shingo Masuda – will come to Poland for the national premiere at MDAG and perform live on stage, creating an improvised musical experience that blends sound and image. Each animal protagonist in the film has a distinct musical identity. The musicians, who originally composed the score through improvisation, will now recreate that experience live, allowing the sound to evolve organically with each scene. Feel the raw, spontaneous energy of the film and the unpredictability of its animal characters in this exceptional immersive performance.
May 13, 20:00, Kino Iluzjon. Ticket price: 30 PLN.
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Screening of “World Between Us” and Fotoruletka workshop with Karolina Wojtas
Forget about analyzing settings, perfect lighting, and over-planning. Or that you don’t know how to do those things anyway. There won’t be time to think – we’re going into full fun mode. Like a wedding party or a great night out, but instead of dancing – we take photos. Spontaneous moments, impulse-driven action, no filter of perfection. There will be music, improvisation, reactions, and emotions instead of instructions. The eye captures, the hand acts, and the head? Let it rest.
Created in collaboration with the Łódź Fotofestiwal, this is a photographic roulette in the form of 7-minute tasks with changing gameplay dynamics. The event follows the screening of “World Between Us” and will be led by Karolina Wojtas – one of the most daring and original photographic voices of recent years. We’ll work in groups, solo, or in pairs, using our own (any kind of) equipment, and those willing (but not obligated) can share their results. One essential requirement: an open mind. It may get weird, crooked, but it’ll be real. Sometimes the best photos come by accident.
May 17, 14:00, State Ethnographic Museum. Ticket price for the screening and one-hour workshop: 60 PLN.
BUY TICKET FOR FILM AND WORKSHOP!
22. MDAG odbędzie się od 9 do 18 maja 2025 roku w kinach w siedmiu miastach (Warszawie, Wrocławiu, Gdyni, Poznaniu, Katowicach, Łodzi oraz Bydgoszczy) oraz od 20 maja do 2 czerwca online na mdag.pl!
