Millennium Docs Against Gravity Film Festival and Bank Millennium extend their cooperation

The Millennium Docs Against Gravity Film Festival is becoming increasingly popular. Full-length documentaries have found recurrent audiences in cinemas all over Poland. It was the Festival that made cinematic documentary films trendy in the country. Millennium Docs Against Gravity has won many prizes and awards including PISF Awards for “The Most Important Film Event” in 2008 and “Wdechy” Co Jest Grane 24 – from the culture insert in “Gazeta Wyborcza” daily for “The Most Important Cultural Event in Warsaw” in 2009.

- Millennium Docs Against Gravity is among the top three documentary film festivals in Europe in terms of audience and popularity. This year’s edition of the Festival has been visited by an audience of no less than 65,000, which means 43% growth during three years. We are pleased that the festival is growing so well, gaining the supports of viewers from various age groups and expanding the range of its friends, partners, media, non-governmental organisations, well-known and recognised personalities from the world of culture – Iwona Jarzębska, Director of Public Relations Department of Bank Millennium, said. – The Bank has been supporting cultural events consistently since 30 years; Millennium Docs Against Gravity is a good illustration of this activity.

The fifteenth edition of Millennium Docs Against Gravity Film Festival, which took place on 11-26 May this year, turned out to have been record-setting in many respects. More than 60,000 cinema viewers in five cities of Poland came when invited to BREAK AWAY! – from stereotypes and habits with documentary cinema. Altogether 65,000 people attended the main film shows and accompanying events. This is a result 35% higher than last year.

Interest in Millennium Docs Against Gravity was seen in all cities, where the festival is taking place. In Warsaw alone interest in the film shows was registered at more than 34% over last year. In Gdynia no less than 63% more audience came to the festival film shows than last year! There is a similar surge in popularity of documentary films also in Lublin –65% more people went to the movies there.

Local editions of Millennium Docs Against Gravity are an excellent example of successful cooperation with local authorities. In Wrocław the Grand Prix Dolnego Śląska – Award from Marshal of Dolnośląskie Voivodeship, is given, in Gdynia the Grand Prix – Award of the Mayor of Gdynia, while in Bydgoszcz – the Nagroda Główna Bydgoszcz ART.DOC Award, co-financed by the city authorities. In these cities, also in Lublin since this year, the Festival has become part of the local cultural landscape.

The concept of Millennium Docs Against Gravity continues to evolve in order to meet the growing interest in documentary films. The festival cinemas attract not just with the films themselves but also with the rich list of accompanying events in the Documentary Academy: meeting with authors, debates, workshops and concerts. This year shows of 166 films were accompanied by a total of 140 meetings, 46 debates, 14 concerts, 10 workshops and 3 meetings with cinematic masters.

Audience satisfaction surveys have shown that no less than 88% of persons polled are of the view that taking part in the event had positive influence on their personal development, 73% declared that thanks to the festival they have gained greater film knowledge while 78% persons polled have the opinion that thanks to the Festival their knowledge in areas other than film has increased. 76% of the viewers would definitely recommend Millennium Docs Against Gravity to friends.

The 15th edition of Millennium Docs Against Gravity took place thanks to the support and cooperation of a total of 103 partners and media sponsors, national and local alike. A record-high number of publications about the 15th edition of Millennium Docs Against Gravity Film Festival appeared in printed media, the internet, radio and television. The estimated AVE amount (advertising equivalent) for all publications in the period from 1 January to 31 May 2018 is almost 42% higher than last year!

- The turnout success, wide presence in popular and opinion-leading media, a satisfied audience as well as plans for further development are a recipe for successful continuation of cooperation with the title sponsor. We are a festival of the 21st century – nomadic, looking for viewers everywhere, not just sitting back and waiting for them, working with the audience all year round. It is our festival’s ambition to create opinions through its curator’s film programme as well as accompanying events. For the coming years we are preparing a new leap into the future, new quality and new idea of the film festival. I want to thank Bank Millennium, the festival sponsor, for trust and the completely unheard-of 13-year cooperation in sponsoring of culture in Poland. I thank our media sponsors and festival partners very much, in Wrocław (Dolnośląskie Centrum Filmowe), Gdynia (Gdyńskie Centrum Filmowe), Lublin (Centrum Spotkania Kultur) and Bydgoszcz (Miejskie Centrum Kultury), with which we have been together creating this national festival of documentary cinema. The next edition of the greatest documentary film festival in Poland will take place on 10-19 May 2019 – we wish to invite you to cooperate with us and go to the cinemas! – Artur Liebhart, Director of the Festival, recapitulated.