The International Federation of Film Critics, also known as Fipresci, and the Millennium Docs Against Gravity festival have revealed the nominees for the inaugural Documentary Grand Prix, which will be given to the best documentary film of the year. They include two Oscar nominees: ”The Perfect Neighbor” and ”Mr. Nobody Against Putin.”
Members of Fipresci from around the world will vote, and the first ever winner will be announced at the opening ceremony of the 23rd edition of Millennium Docs Against Gravity on May 7 in Warsaw, Poland.
The 23rd MDAG will take place from May 8 to 17 in cinemas in Warsaw, Wrocław, Gdynia, Poznań, Katowice, Bydgoszcz and Łódź, and online from May 19 to June 1 at mdag.pl.
Fipresci Documentary Grand Prix nominees
”2000 Meters to Andriivka” by Mstyslav Chernov
An unflinching film from the frontline in Ukraine, where a small group of soldiers fight their way two kilometers through a harsh landscape to liberate a village in ruins.
”Fiume o morte!” by Igor Bezinović
A century after Gabriele D’Annunzio’s bizarre 1919 occupation of Fiume, Rijeka-born director Igor Bezinović and 300 citizens stage a subversive, punk-infused reenactment that dismantles nationalist mythmaking and exposes the enduring spectacle of political performance.
”Mr. Nobody Against Putin” by Pavel Talankin and David Borenstein
A documentary about propaganda and everyday life in Russia follows Pasha, a small-town teacher on the Urals who films his students as schools become militarized after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine —capturing loyalty pledges, fear and the quiet resistance of teenagers.
”Orwell: 2+2=5” by Raoul Peck
Interweaving archive footage from adaptations of “1984” with a tapestry of 21st century images, Raoul Peck dissects Orwell’s genius and his vital lessons for our times.
”The Perfect Neighbor” by Geeta Gandbhir
Police bodycam recordings capture the moment a protracted conflict between neighbors escalates into a deadly encounter in this documentary exploring fear, bias and Stand Your Ground legislation.