21/05/2024 - The film by a Palestinian-Israeli collective has emerged triumphant in the International Competition and nabbed an Audience Award, while Lidia Duda’s movie won the Polish Film Competition

Millennium Docs Against Gravity (MDAG), the largest documentary film festival in Poland, which unspooled from 10-19 May and is now running its online edition from 21 May-3 June, has announced the awards given out by juries in several Polish cities (Gdynia, Wrocław, Katowice, Poznań and Bygdoszcz) where the event is held, as well as the verdict of the audience.

The film that captured the hearts of both the public and professionals was No Other Land [+see also:
film review
interview: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
film profile] by Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham and Rachel Shor. The doc had its world premiere at the Berlinale, where it won the Panorama Dokumente Award and the Audience Award (see the news). The MDAG jury that was deliberating on the winner of the Grand Prix Bank Millennium Award wrote in their statement that the film is “a powerful documentary that crystalised grave injustice into a story of friendship and how hope can thrive only when everyone has freedom. This film masterfully uses all elements of filmmaking – gritty, realistic cinematography and compelling editing – to tell the story of the human need for hope, peace and family. In the process, it reminds us that true connections and friendships that transcend boundaries are more powerful than weapons and are the only path forward for all of us.” There were also two Special Mentions given out in this section, to Sugarcane by Emily Kassie and Julian Brave Noisecat, and Agent of Happiness [+see also:
film review
film profile] by Dorottya Zurbó and Arun Bhattarai. Additionally, No Other Land got a Special Mention from the Lower Silesia Grand Prix Jury and the Bydgoszcz Art Doc Award.

Forest [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Lidia Duda
film profile] by Lidia Duda, on the other hand, was already lauded at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival, where it scooped a Silver Alexander (see the news). In Poland, the documentary, which shows the refugee crisis on the Polish-Belarusian border through the eyes of children living in an idyllic house by the forest, was showered with accolades. It won the Best Polish Film Award, the Lower Silesia Grand Prix, the Smakjam Award for Best Production of a Polish Film, the Amnesty International Poland Award and the All About Freedom Award. The Basement by Roman Blazhan scored the Award for Best Cinematography, Freshman by Michał Edelman and Tomasz Pawlik got the Best Short Film Award, while the Special Mention in this section was bestowed upon Crushed by Camille Vigny.

Hollywoodgate [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Ibrahim Nash’at won the Mayor of Gdynia Award and the Honorary Mention of the District Bar Council in Bydgoszcz, for the best production dealing with the issue of human rights in a film. Ibelin [+see also:
film review
interview: Benjamin Ree
film profile] by Benjamin Ree received the City of Poznań Freedom Award, with a Special Mention going to The Last Expedition [+see also:
film review
film profile] by Eliza Kubarska. Her documentary about Polish climber Wanda Rutkiewicz also pocketed a Special Mention from the mayor of Gdynia and the Arthouse Cinema Association Award in the Polish Competition. Special Mentions for the latter award went to Rave by Łukasz Ronduda and Dawid Nickel, and to Just Hear Me Out [+see also:
film review
film profile] by Małgorzata Imielska, which was also similarly recognised in the Best Polish Film category.

Echo of You [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Zara Zerny won the First Appearance Award, while A New Kind of Wilderness [+see also:
film review
film profile] by Silje Evensmo Jacobsen got the Onet Big Screen Award, given out by the audience in Warsaw, Gdynia, Wrocław and Poznań. Finally, the Chopin’s Nose Award, for the best film about art, went to I’m Not Everything I Want to Be [+see also:
film review
interview: Klára Tasovská
film profile] by Klára Tasovská.

Here is the full list of winners at the 21st Millennium Docs Against Gravity:

Grand Prix – Bank Millennium Award
No Other Land [+see also:
film review
interview: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
film profile] – Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Shor (Palestine/Norway)
Special Mentions
Sugarcane – Emily Kassie, Julian Brave Noisecat (USA/Canada)
Agent of Happiness [+see also:
film review
film profile] – Dorottya Zurbó, Arun Bhattarai (Bhutan/Hungary)

Arthouse Cinema Association Award in the Polish Competition
The Last Expedition [+see also:
film review
film profile] – Eliza Kubarska (Poland)
Special Mentions
Rave – Łukasz Ronduda, Dawid Nickel (Poland)
Just Hear Me Out [+see also:
film review
film profile] - Małgorzata Imielska (Poland)

Best Polish Film Award
Forest [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Lidia Duda
film profile] – Lidia Duda (Poland)
Special Mention
Just Hear Me Out - Małgorzata Imielska

Smakjam Polish Competition Prize for the Best Production
Forest – Lidia Duda

Best Short Film Award
Freshman - Michał Edelman, Tomasz Pawlik (Poland, short film)
Special Mention
Crushed - Camille Vigny (Belgium, short film)

First Appearance Award
Echo of You [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Zara Zerny (Denmark)

Green Warsaw Award
The Giants - Laurence Billiet, Rachael Antony (Australia)

Best Cinematography
Mihail Volkov - The Basement (Ukraine/France)

Chopin’s Nose Award
I’m Not Everything I Want to Be [+see also:
film review
interview: Klára Tasovská
film profile] - Klára Tasovská (Slovakia/Czech Republic/Austria) 

Amnesty International Polska Award
Forest – Lidia Duda

City of Poznań Freedom Award
Ibelin [+see also:
film review
interview: Benjamin Ree
film profile] - Benjamin Ree (Norway)
Special Mention
The Last Expedition – Eliza Kubarska

Lower Silesia Grand Prix
Forest – Lidia Duda
Special Mention
No Other Land – Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Shor

Mayor of Gdynia Award
Hollywoodgate [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] – Ibrahim Nash’at (Germany/USA)
Special Mention
The Last Expedition – Eliza Kubarska

Etnomatograph Award
God Is a Woman [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Andrés Peyrot
film profile] – Andrès Peyrot (France/Switzerland/Panama)

Bydgoszcz Art.Doc Award
No Other Land – Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Shor

Honorary Mention of the District Bar Council in Bydgoszcz
Hollywoodgate – Ibrahim Nash’at

Silesian Audience Award
The Last Expedition – Eliza Kubarska

Audience Award
No Other Land – Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Shor

Onet Big Screen Award
A New Kind of Wilderness [+see also:
film review
film profile] – Silje Evensmo Jacobsen (Norway)