Millennium Docs Against Gravity just wrapped the in-person edition of the nonfiction festival, which takes place simultaneously in seven cities in Poland (the online edition runs today until June 2).
The Grand Prix – the Bank Millennium Award – went to Yintah, directed by Jennifer Wickham, Brenda Michell and Michael Toledano. The award automatically qualifies Yintah for Academy Award consideration (MDAG is one of the few festivals in the world with the distinction of being an Oscar qualifier for Best Documentary Film).
The jury – made up of Salma Abdalla of the Austrian Film Institute, Oscar-nominated filmmaker Simon Lereng Wilmont and two-time Oscar-nominated producer Rémi Grellety – awarded a Special Mention to A Want in Her, directed by Myrid Carten (the filmmaker appeared on Deadline’s Doc Talk podcast after the world premiere of her film at IDFA).
For the first time, Doc Talk traveled to Poland to cover MDAG. In the new episode of the pod, we speak with festival artistic director Karol Piecarczyk about how the festival got its unusual name, how MDAG managed to maintain its artistic independence during the eight years of right-wing rule in Poland (which came to an end in 2023), and the challenges and opportunities presented by holding a festival in seven cities at the same time.
We also speak with Northern Irish filmmaker Mark Cousins, who brought his latest film, A Sudden Glimpse to Deeper Things, to MDAG, along with several of his earlier films. He also held what he called an “anti-masterclass” at the festival, designed to inspire the audience to think creatively about approaches to documentary filmmaking.
Cousins tells us about collaborating with his friend Tilda Swinton once again on A Sudden Glimpse. And he discusses how his filmmaking style has evolved over the years – initially from “BBC house style,” then to “angry” filmmaker infiltrating a neo-Nazi group, to his current style, which he describes as “non-macho” and gentle. He also reveals stories behind his multiple tattoos, including one in tribute to Marie Curie, the two-time Nobel Prize-winning scientist.
That’s on the new episode of Doc Talk, co-hosted by Oscar winner John Ridley (12 Years a Slave, Shirley) and Matt Carey, Deadline’s documentary editor. The show is a production of Deadline and Ridley’s Nō Studios.
Listen to the episode above or on major podcast platforms including Spotify, iHeart and Apple.
