Photopia, the photographers’ hub, is preparing to launch the second edition of its international photography festival, Cairo Photo Week, which will take place at four different locations in the heart of Cairo’s historic Downtown area. The festival will occur over 10 days between 11 to 20 March.
The Cairo Photo Week is an international artistic and cultural event that seeks to attract and bring together the photography community in Egypt, the Middle East, and Africa. It aims to do so through educational lectures, workshops, exhibitions, and various other services.
Organising the festival for the second time, Photopia is a photography schoolfounded in 2012 to support the rising professional photography community in Egypt and the region.
Marwa Abou Leila, Co-founder and Managing Director of Photopia, said, “Cairo Photo Week is a regional and international event that bolsters and strengthens the relationship of those who work in the field and helps present new local and regional talents.”
For its second edition, the festival will launch under the theme Depth of Field, following the success of the first festival in 2018, which had a significant impact on the photography community in Egypt and the region.
The previous event hosted over 90 Egyptian, regional, and global lecturers, and saw the participation of 1,500 visitors, photographers, videographers, cinematographers, and image-makers.
She added, “This year’s edition of the festival primarily aims to empower domestic and regional photographers and widen their horizons in this field, which has become a highly competitive industry.”
This will be achieved through a variety of workshops, discussions, and lectures, along with image critiquing, 350 hours of photography education, discussions with key documentary, commercial photographers, cinematographers and advertising industry leaders. ”
“The festival will constitute 70% learning and 30% exhibitions, open studios, photography services, and networking events with speakers, lecturers, and local, regional, and international exhibitors who will present the various workshops,” Abou Leila said.
She said that one of the notable additions to the upcoming festival is that it will be broadcast online, with participants being able to virtually attend some of the festival’s activities. These include discussions and exhibitions, and will expand the attendance. At the same time, it will attract new segments from different geographical locations, age groups, and nationalities.
The festival will host 2,000 visitors, participants and attendees, in addition to 3,000 virtual participants.
