We know the winner of the Grand Prix - Millennium Bank Award at the 22nd MDAG, which paves the way to the Oscar®

- The 22nd edition of MDAG is unique. First of all, this year we are celebrating the 20th anniversary of our unique, uninterrupted cooperation with the festival. This is probably the longest partnership between cultural and business institutions in Poland, and perhaps even in Europe. We are very proud of this. For the bank, openness to the world, truth, respect for diversity and openness to all groups of the community are extremely important. The festival also follows these values. We look at the world together and it is an extraordinary privilege for us to accompany it over the years. Secondly, thanks to the inclusion of the festival on the list of institutions qualifying for the Oscar in the Best Documentary Feature Film category, the Grand Prix – the Bank Millennium Award opens the way for the winning film to the most important award in the world of filmmaking – said Agata Chrzanowska, Chairwoman of Millennium Bank Hipoteczny during the presentation of the main prize.

In the main competition of the 22nd Millennium Docs Against Gravity 12 exceptional films competed for the Grand Prix – the Bank Millennium Award. The winner was selected by a jury consisting of: Remi Grellety, Salma Abdalla, Simon Lereng Wilmont. The justification reads: "YINTAH" directed by Jennifer Wickham, Brenda Michell, Michael Toledano is a film made for over a decade, documenting the centuries-old - but still ongoing - fight to protect the land of the ancestors. Indigenous people are confronted with a corporation whose private interests – supported by the state – are destroying the environment they have protected for generations. At the heart of this anti-colonial resistance are two women - two leaders who stood up to fight. A vivid montage of scenes depicting their peaceful protests, combined with striking images of the untouched wilderness they defend, makes YINTAH a painfully beautiful visual experience. The film calls us to resist before it's too late.

The Millennium Docs Against Gravity is today the second largest documentary film festival in Europe, an important point of world premieres. The impressive development of the festival has been recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which in 2024 included the MDAG in the prestigious list of festivals qualifying for the Oscar® in the Best Documentary Feature Film category.

Thanks to this, the winner of the Grand Prix - Bank Millennium Award from this edition has an open path to the Oscar®, which means that the winner will not have to meet some of the conditions of the race for the most important film award in the world. According to the rules set by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, only films that have had their uninterrupted 7-day distribution in the USA (meeting a number of additional conditions), titles nominated by a given country as their candidate in the Best International Film category or those very works that won at one of the festivals from the qualifying list can apply for the award.

Since last year, it has also included Millennium Docs Against Gravity, which means that the prestige and importance of the festival's main prize – the Grand Prix - Millennium Bank Award has increased significantly.

The 22nd MDAG takes place from 9 to 18 May 2025 in cinemas in Warsaw, Wrocław, Gdynia, Poznań, Katowice, Bydgoszcz and Łódź, and from 20 May to 2 June online on mdag.pl. More about the Festival on www.mdag.pllink opens in a new window.

The history of Bank Millennium is inextricably linked to culture. Right from the very start of its business activity i.e. from close to 40 years, the Bank has been engaged in providing access to and promoting culture in Poland. It supports national and local cultural events. It is a sponsor of culture 360°, it promotes art in almost all its forms, including: film, music, theatre, photography and painting, sculpture, literature and performance. It reaches for niche and popular culture; it is a long-term partner by design. Support in this area remains very important for the Bank.

More about the bank's patronage at: www.bankmillennium.pl/o-banku/centrum-prasowe/mecenat-kulturylink opens in a new window.