Millennium Docs Against Gravity remains the only film festival in Europe held simultaneously across multiple cities. In Poznań, the opening film will be Nuisance Bear, directed by Gabriel Osio Vanden and Jack Weisman, screening at Muza on 8 May at 8pm. "It is not only humans that must grapple with having the place they have always inhabited taken away from them. In Churchill, Manitoba, known as the polar bear capital of the world, the titular bear is forced to navigate a world of tourists, conservation officers, and hunters, who often perceive him as a nuisance, even though the town sits right on his natural migration route. Narrated from an Inuit perspective, the story observes these relationships, compelling the viewer to reflect," states the synopsis.

"After screenings, audiences will have an opportunity to meet the film's directors, who will visit the Muza Cinema in person," notes Karolina Kulig, press officer for the Poznań strand of the festival. The programme comprises 59 films presented across 137 screenings. It includes over a dozen thematic sections showcasing outstanding documentaries from around the world, alongside premieres, notable titles, special events, and guest meets & greets. This year's MDAG is framed by the theme "Searchings", reflecting more than two decades of documentary filmmaking, which Polish audiences have been able to engage with through the festival.

The main competition this year offers a rich documentary panorama of global events and human experience, including Nuisance Bear, set to inaugurate the festival in Poznań. Other big screen showings include the Polish production Closure, directed by Michał Marczak, recounting the disappearance of 16-year-old Krzysztof Dymiński, a case that resonated across Poland. In May 2023, Krzysztof left his home in Pogroszew Kolonia near Warsaw in the early hours of the morning and was last seen on one of the city's bridges. Since then, his parents have been engaged in a relentless search for their son. The investigation has yet to yield any decisive breakthrough. His father continues to search the Vistula River using specialised equipment and a self-built boat.

Meanwhile, 16-year-old Soraya Akhalaghi is the protagonist (and co-director with Mehrdad Oskouei) of the production A Fox under a Pink Moon. Living in Iran with an abusive husband, whom she was forced to marry at 13, she filmed her life with a mobile phone over the span of five years, documenting her efforts to escape to Europe. Particular attention should also be paid to Pieter-Jan De Pue's Mariinka. "The film depicts the reality of war in Ukraine, where every person who is now on the front line has seen his or her life profoundly disrupted. A promising female boxer becomes a paramedic, while another young woman works as a courier, smuggling goods across the front line. Two brothers find themselves on opposite sides of the conflict, while the youngest brother lives in a foster family in the United States. Their story resembles a Greek tragedy," reads the description. And these are just three of the twelve films competing for the festival's Grand Prix.

MDAG audiences are also in for a diverse programme of post-screening events ranging from talks with filmmakers (Nuisance Bear: 8 May, 8.00 pm; Confessions of a Mole: 11 May, 6.00 pm; Traces: 13 May, 5.45 pm), to discussions about activism and migration (Everybody to Kenmure Street: 9 May, 8 pm) and humanitarian aid (American Doctor: 10 May, 8 pm) to special events such as the Funk Party DJ night (9 May, 9 pm) and the olfactory workshop [dedicated to the sense of smell - ed.] (14 May, 5 pm).

"A programme highlight will be the screening of Irvine Welsh: Reality Is Not Enough (12 May, 7 pm), attended by both the director and Irvine Welsh himself: an intimate portrait of the author of Trainspotting, following his path from his youth in Leith to global recognition, his interests in music and sports, and his reflections on the fleeting nature of life", highlight the organisers.

The programme is further enriched by Film Club events (Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore: 12 May, 8.45 pm); additional meetings with filmmakers (Candidates of Death: 13 May, 8.30 pm; Closure: 15 May, 5.45 pm; Freak Show: 15 May, 8.45 pm), alongside discussions and educational activities that expand the cinematic experience through social and cultural context.

During this year's festival, the Poznań Freedom Award will be conferred for the sixth time. From the films nominated for the national main competition, the winning title at local level will be selected by a three-person jury. The panel will include Piotr Jacoń - journalist, documentary filmmaker and author; Lidia Duda - documentary film director and screenwriter; and Aleksandra Hromada - social activist, event producer and mentor, as well as founder and president of the Local Girls Movement. The award will go to the film that most compellingly defends the principles of freedom, and that places dignity and human rights, together with the rights of all living and non-living beings, at its core. The filmmaker will receive a prize of €3,000. The winner will be announced and the award conferred on Thursday 14 May at 8 pm at Kino Muza (Auditorium 1).

Tickets for individual screenings will be available at the cinema box office and online, while event passes (whose number is limited) will be sold exclusively in person. Those who prefer watching films in the comfort of their homes will again have that option. The festival's online edition will begin on 19 May and continue until 1 June. As always, detailed programme information is available on the festival website, on kinomuza.pl, as well as on Facebook and the Millennium Docs Against Gravity YouTube channel.

Anna Solak

translation: Krzysztof Kotkowski

23rd Millennium Docs Against Gravity
8-17 May (Kino Muza), 19 May-1 June (online)
For more, see: mdag.pl

© Wydawnictwo Miejskie Posnania 2026