On May 13-25 2016 in Warsaw, Wrocław, Bydgoszcz, Gdynia, and 20 other cities in Poland, the 13th edition of the MILLENNIUM DOCS AGAINST GRAVITY film festival will take place. It is the biggest documentary film festival in Poland, and the third most popular documentary film festival in Europe, attended in 2015 by over 40 thousand people. At the same time, it is the only festival in Europe to take place on a large scale simultaneously in several cities (this year Warsaw, Wrocław, and Bydgoszcz will be joined by the modern Gdynia Film Center). The festival has made documentary films fashionable in Poland, generating popular interest among audiences and the leading opinion makers. This proves the high quality of its program and its attractiveness. The support, which it has received from key national cultural institutions (Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, Polish Film Institute, National Audiovisual Institute, Municipal Cultural Departments of Warsaw, Bydgoszcz, and this year – Gdynia, as well as the Voivodeship Marshal’s Department in Wrocław) confirms its rank and prestige. Since its inception, the festival has championed documentary cinema of the highest order and in-depth discussions on the issues of contemporary life. This is evidenced by numerous post-screening debates and our guests – great filmmakers such as Werner Herzog, Michel Gondry, Ulrich Seidl, Sergei Loznitsa, and James Marsh. We have also welcomed many key figures from the world of politics and activism, such as Jane Goodall, Gari Kasparov, or Daniel Cohn-Bendit. The festival cooperates with several dozen nongovernmental organizations and media outlets. In 2008, it has received the Polish Film Institute award for “Most Important Cultural Event of the Year”. It was also nominated two more times for this honor (in 2010 and 2012). Our company, Against Gravity, has received the Polish Film Institute’s award for “Best Distributor of Foreign Films of the Year” twice (in 2012 and 2014) and has been nominated two additional times. The festival has also received a Wdecha award from “Co Jest Grane” (the cultural supplement to “Gazeta Wyborcza”) for “Most Important Cultural Event in Warsaw” in 2009. The “Aktivist” monthly has given the festival the Aktivist Award in 2006.
For the thirteenth time, we invite you on a journey around the world and deep into ourselves. Our philosophy – exemplified by the festival motto – invites you to tear yourself away from your habits and preconceptions, to open yourself up to the world as shown by the most interesting and most dynamically developing film genre: documentaries. The films of MILLENNIUM DOCS AGAINST GRAVITY don’t have anything to do with the “docs” or reportages usually shown on TV. Can these works still be classified as “documentary” films then? We strive to tear ourselves away from such considerations. MILLENNIUM DOCS AGAINST GRAVITY festival films are NON-FICTION. The DOCUMENTARY ACADEMY is our education program based on documentary films. Film screenings are combined with classes for primary and high school students, and optional courses for university students. Our courses are honored by the Warsaw, Gdansk, and Wroclaw Universities. the DOCUMENTARY ACADEMY is also aimed at teachers, parents, and senior citizens. The festival also features new films for children in our OKI DOKI section. The ACADEMY will be supplemented by workshops, special screenings for seniors, and films for teachers. You can find out more about the DOCUMENTARY ACADEMY at www.akademiadokumentalna.pl
