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On May 21, a special online event will kick off, lasting until May 25. The event will include the presentation of the new version of VoD.MDAG.pl, accompanied by meetings with extraordinary guests, collections created by important figures of Polish art and culture, and over a dozen new titles on the platform. We invite you to join the event on Millennium Docs Against Gravity profile on Facebook!
One of VoD.MDAG.pl's greatest hits - Mads Brügger's "The Mole: Undercover in North Korea" is returning to the platform! This time, the chief scandalist of documentary cinema reveals the behind-the-scenes dirty dealings of North Korea with the help of... a Danish cook who is an exemplary father. This is one of the most shocking and suspenseful films of recent years. New to the service will be Brügger's previous film, "Cold Case Hammarskjöld." Together with the already available "The Ambassador" they will form a set of three films, in which the Danish director explores, with his natural detachment and sense of humor, the very dark sides of contemporary politics.
Among the new releases on VoD.MDAG.pl are fascinating stories about people from the world of art - "The Capote Tapes," "Shut Up and Play the Piano" and "Let's Try to Jump into the Well". In the first one we get to hear a previously unpublished interview with Capote and listen to people who know the truth that the writer deftly hid from the public while creating his legend. "Shut up and play the piano," on the other hand, is a trip into the crazy world of Chilly Gonzales' music. In the film, you can feel his uncanny ability to break the rules and create independent art. Piotr Stasik and Dorota Wardęszkiewicz's film "Let's Try to Jump into the Well" is a look at the creative process of the outstanding Polish director Krystian Lupa. After this film it is hard not to ask yourself how much a director can afford and how much should actors and actresses endure to achieve artistic success?
There will also be a surprise for all those interested in ecology. In "More Than Honey" director Markus Imhoof travels around the world to show the natural habitats of bees, which are essential to the balance of the environment. Unfortunately, their survival is threatened by human activities.
Discrimination, the dark pages of history and the modern struggle for equality are discussed in three other films - "What You Gonna Do When the World's on Fire?," "The Hitler Chronicles" Part 2 and "The Venerable W." The first of these was directed by Roberto Minervini, well known to the Millennium Docs Against Gravity festival audience. It is a story about the 2017 protests in New Orleans, when black Americans took to the streets to show their solidarity after a series of brutal killings. Minervini also does a great job of showing their everyday lives and the huge problem of racism that continues to ravage American society. The service will also feature the second part of the monumental film "The Hitler Chronicles," which follows the life of one of history's cruelest dictators. The film "The Venerable W." is about an equally dark figure. Reverend Wirathu is an influential figure and respected Burmese monk who has been known for years for spreading anti-Muslim hate rhetoric and inciting ethnic cleansing. His actions have taken a bloody toll.
Also new to the site are two films about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: "5 Broken Cameras" and "Censored Voices."
The closing film of the event will be "The Saviour for Sale," directed by Antoine Vitkine, a story about a painting attributed to Leonardo da Vinci that was sold in 2017 for a record $450 million. As it turns out, one of the greatest painters in history may have had nothing to do with its creation! This is the biggest scandal on the contemporary art market. The film will have its Polish premiere on VoD.MDAG.pl on Tuesday, May 25.
Schedule of accompanying events - the meetings will take place on Millennium Docs Against Gravity fanpage:
Friday, May 21
17:00 - Should an actor love cinema? A cinephile conversation with actor Bartosz Bielenia about his love for documentary films and more. Bartosz Bielenia is the author of one of the collections on the new VoD.MDAG.pl website. The conversation will be moderated by Mateusz Góra from the festival's PR department.
18:00 - Is there a chance to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict? Agnieszka Lichnerowicz from TOK FM will speak with Paweł Smoleński and dr Patrycja Sasnal about the films "5 Broken Cameras" and "Censored Voices."
Saturday, May 22
18:00 - Will billionaires save the world? A conversation between Jakub Majmurek and Dominika Gmerek-Pęczek about the film "Soros," which profiles one of the most controversial billionaires - George Soros. Krytyka Polityczna is the partner of the event.
Sunday, May 23
18:00 - Does documentary cinema have an impact on reality? Wojciech Diduszko, MDAG Polish Competition Director and director Paweł Łoziński, who is also the author of a collection on VoD.MDAG.pl, will talk about the power of films!
Monday, May 24
18:00 - What is religious freedom and why do we need it? Agata Diduszko-Zyglewska will talk with Prof. Stanisław Obirk and a representative of the Polish branch of the Global Order of Satan (The Temple of Satan) around the films "Hail Satan?" and "Once Upon a Time In Poland."
Tuesday, May 25
18:00 - The most effective media? A conversation between Julia Niemiec from the festival's PR department and journalist Eliot Higgins - founder of the first ever citizen's investigative website Bellingcat in reference to the film "Bellingcat."
