Millennium Docs Against Gravity Film Festival
Millennium Docs Against Gravity initiated the trend of documentary films in Poland and has since generated broad interest among audiences, a result of the consistently developed and attractive festival program. The growing audience, the festival's international stature, and the increasing number of partners reflect the validity of the festival's development concept and the creation of a community of audiences and co-organizing organizations for one of the most important film events in Poland. The 21st edition of the festival in 2024 gathered an audience of over 165,000 people. As the only film festival in Europe, it takes place simultaneously in 7 cities: Warsaw, Wrocław, Gdynia, Poznań, Katowice, Bydgoszcz, and Łódź.
Our festival is evolving in a nomadic manner, in line with the 21st century, seeking audiences all over the country. We believe this is the future of film festivals. We take the priorities of promoting film culture by our partnering institutions who financially support the festival very seriously.
MDAG is also a co-founder and member of the Doc Alliance, which brings together seven key European documentary film festivals: CPH: DOX Copenhagen, DOK Leipzig, IDFF Jihlava, FID Marseille, Visions du Réel Nyon, Doclisboa, and Millennium Docs Against Gravity.
Our festival was the first in Poland to introduce a competition for the best feature-length documentary film (Bank Millennium Award). In 2009 and 2023, our festival received the prestigious award from the Polish Film Institute for the "most important international film event" in Poland. The festival was also nominated in the same category in 2013.
In 2021, the founder and director of the festival, Artur Liebhart, was awarded the "Paszport Polityki" award in the special category "Remote Culture". In 2019, the Millennium Docs Against Gravity Film Festival was listed among the "25 Coolest Film Festivals in the World" by "MovieMaker Magazine".
In 2022, Millennium Docs Against Gravity was admitted to the European Film Academy as one of the "most important European film festivals," gaining the opportunity to qualify films for the European Film Award. In 2023, the Artistic Director of the festival, Karol Piekarczyk, became a member of the European Film Academy.
In May 2025, we will invite audiences on a cinematic journey around the world and into themselves. The 22nd MDAG will take place from May 9th to 18th in cinemas, followed by an online event from May 20th to June 2nd, 2025.
IN RELATION TO THE WORLD
The theme of the 2024 edition of MDAG was "In Relation to the World." Documentary films allow us to see a reflection of ourselves, the people around us, and the world. The theme "In Relation to the World" emphasized the role and value of cinema in our lives, as well as in social and political life. Thanks to directors, we receive information and stories that we would otherwise be unaware of.
"The theme of this year's Millennium Docs Against Gravity directly relates to the topics addressed by the films included in the festival program. It is also a tribute to the extraordinary work of the creators who show us the reality around us, as well as to the magical bond that forms in the cinema. Following this theme, this year we focus on interpersonal relationships and showcase the boundless complexity of our nature. On the one hand, it allows us to experience friendship, love, and empathy. On the other hand, our species is responsible for the destruction of both ourselves and the planet, which is not just our home," said Karol Piekarczyk, Artistic Director of MDAG.