On May 11, the awards of Millennium Docs Against Gravity Industry programme were handed out. This year’s event featured 4 pitching sessions, 42 projects, and over 340 one-on-one meetings.
“We’re proud to support these outstanding projects at every stage of their journey. With such bold voices and powerful stories, we truly believe the films developed here will resonate with audiences around the world,” said Anna Szczypińska, Head of MDAG Industry.
6TH DOCUMENTARY FILM FORUM FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES. Organiser: Wajda Film Centre
- Cash Prize of 7,000 PLN (1650 euros) for the best project from Millennium Docs Against Gravity: SPIKY STORIES by Maciej Gryzełko. A creative documentary about a young hedgehog who wakes up too early from winter hibernation and is taken to a wildlife rescue center.
- Cash Prize of 7,000 PLN (1650 euros) for the best project from LET’S DOC Festival: HOW TO GET A WHALE’S TOOTH, by Ignacy Ziarkiewicz. After losing his adventurous grandma at a young age, the director tries to go back to the past to ask her fundamental questions about life – what really matters and from where to get courage, to live as bravely as she did
- Cash Prize of 5,000 PLN (1180 euros) for the best project from the Polish Filmmakers Association: STAY TOXIC by Paweł Olearczyk. Natalia (19) – a rebellious girl from a small town dreams of becoming an actress and getting into a theater school at the other end of Poland. Along the way she will have to face a traumatic past, leaving behind loved ones and her difficult character.
SHORT PITCH PROGRAM. Organisers: Millennium Docs Against Gravity, Institute of Documentary Film
- SILVER EYE AWARD – Festival distribution service within East Silver Caravan: EYELASHES AND SAND CRYSTALS, dir. Daryna Mamaisur, prod. Olha Tuharinova: Eyelashes and Sand Crystalsfocuses on the unique case of the ”herbarium in exile” and the work of scholars who continue collecting samples despite lacking a place to store them.
PROGRESS PITCHING SESSION
- CANAL+ Polska – Main Prize of €3,000 – LOVE LETTERS by Paweł Ziemilski, prod. Alicja Gancarz, Paweł Ziemilski, Mateusz Wajda (MX35 Wajda Ziemilski sp. j.) Could there be a better place to explore love than the Juliet Club in Verona, where for over 50 years people from around the world have sent their heartaches, hopes, and confessions?
- Polish Filmmakers Association. Cash prize of 10,000 PLN (2,360 euros). LESSONS FROM “CHEMISTRY”, dir. Magda Grudniewska – alias for security reasons. Lessons from Chemistry is a documentary film about Belarusian activist Levon, who lost everything in his home country and, after emigrating to Poland, is trying to rebuild his life and repair his relationship with his family.
- SMAKJAM – Color grading service worth 15,000 PLN (3,540 euros): CLOSURE, dir. Michał Marczak, prod. Monika Braid (Braidmade Films). Daniel scours the Vistula River after his 16-year-old son vanishes from a Warsaw bridge. While his wife clings to hope he’s alive, Daniel fears a darker fate.
- SoundMind – Sound post-production service worth 10,000 PLN (2,360 euros): BECOMING CHRISTINE GRANVILLE by Sylwia Rosak, prod. Justyna Kluczewska, Maciej Ostatek (Raban) The story of Krystyna Skarbek, a woman who dedicated her entire life to becoming Christine Granville, the finest agent of British intelligence, and the inspiration for the character of James Bond.
- VISIONI DAL MONDO – Accreditation and project participation in the Visioni dal Mondo pitching forum in Milan: LOVE LETTERS by Paweł Ziemilski, prod. Alicja Gancarz, Paweł Ziemilski, Mateusz Wajda (MX35 Wajda Ziemilski sp. j.) Could there be a better place to explore love than the Juliet Club in Verona, where for over 50 years people from around the world have sent their heartaches, hopes, and confessions?
