MDAG 25

At MDAG Industry Days, BDE caught up with Aliona Kachkan of Ukrainian production company TABOR ahead of her presentation of new project, Missing in Action. “Although the film is rooted in the context of war, the theme of disappearance extends far beyond it,” she says. “It touches on the broader, universal experience of absence, unresolved grief, and the human need for closure, whether caused by migration, political repression, social injustice, or natural disasters.”

Dubbed ‘Britain’s most glamourous spy,’ and an inspiration for the character of James Bond, Polish-born Countess Maria Krystyna Janina Skarbek is the subject of director Sylwia Rosak’s new documentary to be presented during this week’s MDAG Industry Days. “It’s a powerful exploration of how we construct and forget our heroes — especially women who live beyond the limits of what is socially acceptable,” producer Justyna Kluczewska tells BDE.

It takes a brave, thoughtful - and importantly, compassionate - person to focus their comedy spotlight onto one of the most awful situations of modern times, and that is exactly what Israeli activist-comedian Noam Shuster Eliassi does in her comedy show, which draws on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, offering up a prescient and unique voice amidst all the horror.

Designed for emerging filmmakers from Central and Eastern Europe, the Millennium Docs Against Gravity Short Pitch Program provides a platform for directors of short documentaries to present their work-in-progress to a curated audience of sales agents, distributors, festival programmers, and broadcasters. This year’s presentation takes place May 10 in Warsaw.

“While things like artistic values, or thematic importance are always a place to start…at the end of the day, however simple it sounds, we really are searching for the best films,” Millennium Docs Against Gravity Artistic Director Karol Piekarczyk explains his programming approach on the eve of the festival’s 22nd roll-out. The festival runs 9-18 May across seven Polish cities, and 20 May to June 2 online.

As of 2025, the Polish Millennium Docs Against Gravity festival will be an Oscar® qualifying event. “This means that the Grand Prix – Bank Millennium Award winner will have a clear path to the Academy Awards,” the festival writes. The deadline for submissions for the 22nd MDAG is January 6. The festival will take place May 9-18 2025 in cinemas, and from May 20 to June 2 online at mdag.pl.