About the festiwal
“Searching” – the theme of the 23rd MDAG
This year’s theme refers both to the search for the right way to tell stories about reality — an inseparable part of documentary filmmaking — and to the search for knowledge about the world that defines the festival audience. Together with the festival team, filmmakers and viewers also embark on another search: for mutual understanding and shared values in times of polarization and uncertainty. We search for solutions to the geopolitical, ecological, social, and economic problems we see around us. Films may not change the world directly, but they offer fresh perspectives and inspire action. We believe that people who watch them often go on to change reality themselves.
Award-winning films from around the world
The face of this year’s MDAG poster is Soraya Akhalaghi — protagonist, cinematographer, and co-director of the film A Fox Under A Pink Moon, which won the main prize at International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam, the world’s largest documentary film festival. Soraya is an Afghan multidisciplinary artist working mainly in painting and sculpture. She has endured many hardships in her life. For five years, she made repeated attempts — known among migrants as “games” — to travel from Iran, where she worked as a housekeeper, to Europe. She currently lives in a camp in Berlin. In the film, she says she hopes to find a home where she can create and grow without fear.
The MDAG programme features some of the most important documentary films to premiere at major international festivals, including Venice, Sundance, and Berlin. The line-up also includes Polish productions and co-productions. The Ukrainian-Polish film Traces, directed by Alisa Kovalenko and Marysia Nikitiuk, had its world premiere at Berlin International Film Festival, where it received the Documentary Panorama Audience Award. The film tells the story of Ukrainian women who, after surviving conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) and torture during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, begin speaking publicly about their experiences.
Festival highlights and new sections
Once again, the MDAG programme includes a range of new sections reflecting the themes and issues that documentary filmmakers explored over the past year. The section “Women Change the World” returns with intimate stories of fearless pioneers fighting for equality, whatever the cost.
“New York I Love You, But…” brings together films about New York’s artistic bohemia — creators who had complicated relationships with the city yet continually found inspiration there. “In the Name of the Father and the Son” focuses on the changing dynamics between fathers and sons today. Meanwhile, “All Eyes on Palestine” sheds light on the political and social reality of Palestinians, portraying everyday life under the shadow of conflict and instability.
A brand-new addition to MDAG is the “Masters” section, featuring new films by acclaimed directors whose earlier works helped shape contemporary documentary cinema. What stories will these filmmakers surprise us with this time?
Exclusively in the online edition
The online programme of the 23rd edition of MDAG differs slightly from the cinema edition. It includes thematic short film blocks featuring nearly all films from the theatrical competition programme, alongside additional titles. This year’s blocks are: Desires and Dreams, Trapped in History, Limit Situations, Of Humans and Animals, All in the Family, and Interrupted Childhood.
The online edition’s “Best of MDAG” section will also feature a different selection of films than the cinema programme, including the Academy Award®-winning documentary Mr. Nobody Against Putin.
More information about the festival:
Millennium Docs Against Gravity – Facebook
Millennium Docs Against Gravity – Instagram
Millennium Docs Against Gravity – YouTube
Millennium Docs Against Gravity – TikTok
