The winners of the 15th Millennium Docs Against Gravity Film Festival announced!

21.05.2018

On May 18 at Teatr Studio in Warsaw took place the Award Ceremony of the 15th Millennium Docs Against Gravity Film Festival. But it’s not the end of the 15th Millennium Docs Against Gravity Film Festival – we still have a weekend of exhilarating film and events ahead of us during the last festival weekend in Warsaw, Wrocław and Lublin. The Gdynia edition takes place until May 25, and the one in Bydgoszcz until May 26.

13 carefully selected films were included in the Main Competition of the Millennium Docs Against Gravity Film Festival, Bing Liu’s “Minding the Gap” has won the Grand Prix – the Bank Millennium Award and 8 000 EUR. The winner has been chosen by the jury comprising Jan Gassmann – film director, Grzegorz Jarzyna – theater director, Anna Zamecka – film director. The award was handed by Wojciech Rybak, Board member of Bank Millennium. The award is funded by the main partner of the festival: Bank Millennium.

The jury comments:

„Set in an American ghost town, this deeply personal film starts disguised as a coming of age – skater movie just to reveal itself as a deep-digging drama about family, domestic violence and dealing with the existing trauma. The director succeeds not only in creating a fearless, emotional portrayal of his friends, but also in presenting nuanced observations about class and race. For a mature, multilayered look at American families and society, the Bank Millennium Award in the International Competition goes to Bing Liu’s ‘Minding the Gap’.”

Lower Silesia Grand Prix – The Marshal of Lower Silesia Voivodeship Award

For the Lower Silesia Grand Prix competed the 13 films out of which the winner of the Main Competition of the Warsaw edition of the festival was chosen.

The jury of the 15th Millennium Docs Against Gravity Film Festival, comprising Magdalena Piekarska, Maciej Kurowicki, Arkadiusz Wojnarowski and Jarosław Preduta, has decided that the Lower Silesia Grand Prix goes to Bing Liu’s “Minding the Gap” – „for a portrait of a generation, personal story about a brutal crash with adulthood and proof that [a documentary] can be a fascinating meeting, adventure, passion and therapy regardless what the genre limits are.

Markus Imhoof’s ‘Eldorado’ receives a special mention as it is a mirror in which the director and his story look, and in which the supporters of closing and sealing borders, building walls, including the ones created in our minds by politicians, should look, but also those who do not want to see and know. For a moving, compassion enhancing plea for empathy”.

The 13 films will be also considered for other awards. The jury in Gdynia will choose the winner of The Mayor of Gdynia Award, and the jury in Bydgoszcz will choose the winner of the Bydgoszcz ART/DOC Award. Those decisions and award ceremonies are still ahead of us.

The Winners of the 15th Millennium Docs Against Gravity Film Festival

The Main Competition of the 15th Millennium Docs Against Gravity Film Festival, the Grand Prix – the Bank Millennium Award. The award is funded by Bank Millennium and the Polish Film Institute

Winner:
“Minding the Gap”, dir. Bing Liu

Lower Silesia Grand Prix – The Marshal of Lower Silesia Voivodeship Award Winner:

“Minding the Gap”, dir. Bing Liu

Special mention:
“Eldorado”, dir. Markus Imhoof

Fiction/Non-Fiction Award for Best Feature Mixing Fiction and Non-Fiction

Winner:
“Before Summer Ends”, dir. Maryam Goormaghtigh

Amnesty International Award for Best Human Rights Feature. Amnesty International is co-funding the award.

Winner:
“The Venerable W.”, dir. Barbet Schroeder

Special mention:
“The Other Side of Everything”, dir. Mila Turajlic
“A Woman Captured”, dir. Bernadett Tuza-Ritter

Chopin’s Nose Award for Best Music and Art Feature. The award is funded by the the National Film Archive – Audiovisual Institute:

- “The Prince and the Dybbuk” (“Książę i dybuk”), dir. Elwira Niewiera, Piotr Rosołowski
- ”Love Express. The Disappearance of Walerian Borowczyk” (“Love Express. Zaginięcie Waleriana Borowczyka”), dir. Kuba Mikurda

Shades of Freedom Competition. The competition consists of three awards: Grand Prix Discovery, funded by Discovery Polska; Grand Prix FINA, funded by the National Film Archive – Audiovisual Institute; Audience Award.

Grand Prix Discovery:
“Between Us” (“Między Nami”), dir. Maciej Miller

Grand Prix FINA
“Daniel”, dir. Anastazja Dąbrowska

Audience Award:
“Ostatni Junak”, dir. Mikołaj Janik

Green Warsaw Award for Best Environmental Feature. The award is funded by the Office of Infrastructure of the City of Warsaw

Winner:
“Eating Animals”, dir. Christopher Quinn

Special mention:
“Silas”, dir. Anjali Nayar, Hawa Essuman

“Zwierciadło” Award for Best Psychology Feature

Winner:
“Call Me Tony”, dir. Klaudiusz Chrostowski

“Focus” Award for Biggest Festival Personality

Winner:
“Big Time”, dir. Kaspar Astrup Schröder

Documentary Academy Award
The cross-generational jury of students from high schools collaborating with the Documentary Academy and participants of the Archipelago of Generations program has chosen the winner of the Documentary Academy Award.

Winner:
“The Distant Barking of Dogs”, dir. Simon Lereng Wilmont

Special mention:
“Deaf Child”, dir. Alex de Ronde

Back to article list