This journalist is not exactly a football expert but will use a sports metaphor, regardless: Polish talents have pulled off a hat-trick at the 19^th Millennium Docs Against Gravity festival, winning the Grand Prix (for The Pawnshop [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Lidia Duda
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The Millennium Bank Award jury, comprising David France (How to Survive a Plague), Milenia Fiedler (an accomplished film editor, long-time collaborator with Andrzej Wajda and dean of the Łódź Film School) and Tamara Kotevska (Honeyland [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Ljubomir Stefanov, Tamara …
intervista: Tamara Kotevska, Ljubomir …
scheda film]), explained their verdict while also making a point about why Polish documentaries strike a chord with the festival audience: “It seems to be easier to make documentaries about extraordinary topics and characters, as everyone sees the shocking aspects of them. But what is to be admired are documentary craftsmen, who can make an extraordinary story out of the most ordinary topics and people, the ones we would usually ignore in the reality around us […] This film is a beautiful example of why we need to cherish life in its most ‘meaningless’ simplicity. This movie is an example of why we, as authors, must have our eyes open and focused on every ‘corner’ of our world in order to spot a great story.”

The growing popularity of Polish feature-length documentaries resulted in a dedicated competition, established three years ago, and curated by Wojciech Diduszko for the second time. The festival is headed up by Artur Liebhart, with Karol Piekarczyk serving as artistic director.

Here is the full list of winners at the 19^th Millennium Docs Against Gravity:

Grand Prix – Bank Millennium Award
The Pawnshop [+leggi anche:
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Special Mention
We Met in Virtual Reality [+leggi anche:
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Studio Cinemas Association Award in the Polish Competition
Fledglings [+leggi anche:
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Special Mention
The Pawnshop – Łukasz Kowalski

Best Polish Film Award
Silent Love [+leggi anche:
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Smakjam Polish Competition Prize for Best Production
The Pawnshop – Łukasz Kowalski

Best Short Film Award
Freedom Swimmer – Olivia Martin-McGuire (Australia/France)

First Appearance Award
Silent Love – Marek Kozakiewicz

TVP Kultura Award
Fledglings – Lidia Duda

Green Warsaw Award
Cow [+leggi anche:
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Special Mention
Invisible Demons – Rahul Jain (Finland/Germany/India)

Award for Best Cinematography
Magdalena Kowalczyk – Cow
Special Mentions
Alfredo de Juan – Hide and Seek [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Victoria Fiore
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Cecilie Debell, Jens Jákup Hansen, Maria Tórgarð, Rógvi Rasmussen, Troels Rasmus Jensen – Skal [+leggi anche:
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Chopin’s Nose Award
Nothing Compares [+leggi anche:
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Special Mention
Flight – Anna Zakrzewska, Łukasz Ronduda (Poland)

Best Film for Young Audiences
Water, Wind, Dust Bread – Mahdi Zamanpoori Kiasari (Iran)

Amnesty International Polska Award
Our Memory Belongs to Us – Rami Farah, Signe Byrge Sørensen (Syria/ Denmark/France/Palestine)

“Zwierciadło” Award for Best Film on Psychology
Young Plato – Neasa Ni Chianain (Ireland/Belgium/France)

Warsaw Documentary Award
Navalny – Daniel Roher (USA)

Wyborcza.pl Big Screen Doc Award
Navalny – Daniel Roher

Award for the Director of the Best Ukrainian Film
Oleksiy Radynski - Infinity: According to Florian [+leggi anche:
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The City of Poznań Freedom Award
Babi Yar. Context [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Sergei Loznitsa
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Special Mention
Cow – Andrea Arnold

Lower Silesia Grand Prix – Award of the Marshall of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship
Young Plato – Neasa Ni Chianain
Special Mentions
Angels of Sinjar [+leggi anche:
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We Met in Virtual Reality – Joe Hunting

Mayor of Gdynia Award
The Pawnshop – Łukasz Kowalski
Special Mention
Fledglings – Lidia Duda

Etnomatograph Award
Singing in the Wilderness – Dongan Chen (China)

Bydgoszcz Art.Doc Award
Fledglings – Lidia Duda

Silesian Audience Award
The Pawnshop – Łukasz Kowalski

Honourable Distinction of the District Bar Council
A House Made of Splinters [+leggi anche:
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