Perpignan – Opening on Saturday in the south of France, this year's Visa pour l'Image festival of photojournalism features 26 exhibitions from the Palestinian territories, Mexico, Ukraine and Haiti among others, with a particular focus on society's outcasts.
Many of the works selected for the annual photo festival in Perpignan, now in its 36th year, have to do with exclusion, poverty and life on the margins.
"When we hear Trump or Orban speeches and all these populists who make exclusion a key part of their programmes, we think it's important to draw the public's attention to that," Jean-François Leroy, the festival's director, told French news agency AFP.
Poverty across borders
A multi-year reportage by Pierre Faure explores the theme of poverty in France, while Karen Ballard and Brenda Ann Kenneally look at the decline of the American empire – photographing the other side of Venice Beach, California, or the misery of a working-class family in New York State.
Other photographers turn their lens on walls built to keep out or repel others.
Alejandro Cegarra captures the barriers encountered by migrants in Mexico, while Mugur Varzariu spotlights the segregation of Roma people in Romania.
Leroy praised the "varied" and "heterogeneous" view of events offered by the photographers.
Even after 36 years, he said, "I'm always pleasantly surprised by the proposals I receive".
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Capturing conflict
Other series present scenes from some of the year's most intense conflicts.
Anastasia Taylor-Lind's images show life a few miles from the front in Ukraine, Corentin Fohlen captures the shock of gang violence on the streets of Haiti, and John Moore photographs the merciless war waged on drug traffickers in Ecuador.
The festival has also reserved a special place for the Middle East, riven by the Israel-Hamas conflict since the attacks of 7 October 2023, with two exhibitions on Gaza and the West Bank.
Frozen in time: reviving 19th-century technique to photograph Ukraine war
Elsewhere, the focus is on the year's biggest sporting event: the Paris Olympics. Some of the most memorable images taken by AFP's roughly 70 photographers bring the Games back to life.
From 2 to 7 September, eight Visa d'Or awards will be presented, including the top prize for news reporting, as well as four grants and six other prizes to support the work of photojournalists.
(with AFP)
► Visa pour l'Image runs from 31 August to 15 September 2024.
