The Indian Photo Festival, which will start on August 19, will be used as a platform for building and marketing the Formula E race which will be held on February 11, 2023, Special Chief Secretary (Municipal Administration and Urban Development) and Director General NIUM Arvind Kumar said on Wednesday.
As international photographers will be participating in the month-long photo exhibition, showcasing the work of several photographers from 85 countries across the globe, they might also get to cover the Formula E team and vehicles, he said.
The race will be held on a 2.37-km track in and around the under-construction Secretariat Complex, going through Lumbini Park near Hussainsagar Lake. “We are not going to remove the medians as there as fully grown trees and the committee has agreed to it. However, as per their suggestions, we might introduce more curves on the NTR Garden stretch, apart from removing the speed-breakers,” he said.
Organising committee
Mr. Kumar said that in April they have been to Rome and found that the audience seating capacity for such races is less than 6,000. However, they are planning for at least 30,000 seating capacity for the Formula E race in Hyderabad. An organising committee under the chairmanship of IT and Industries Minister K T Rama Rao was formed, in which chairman of Mahindra Group, Anand Mahindra is one of the members. He said that the Sunday-Funday programme will be resumed from August 14 at Tank Bund and Charminar.
To mark the upcoming World Photography Day, the Indian Photo Festival in association with HMDA and CREDAl Hyderabad, unveiled nominations for the upcoming IPF Photographer of The Year Award.
All the nominated photographs will be showcased at the State Art Gallery, Madhapur from August 19 to September 19. In its first edition, IPF selected 5 nominations each, across eight categories.
The final winners will be announced in a gala event to be held in Hyderabad in September. Sharing his views, Mr. Kumar said that Hyderabad has marked itself on the global map with regards to IT, infrastructure, entertainment etc. “But the city is so much more than this. Our rich heritage and culture getting showcased at distinguished international artistic platforms like IPF and IPF Photographer of The Year Award, helps us take Hyderabad beyond the geographical boundaries,” he said.
Mr. Kumar said that the State government is doing this on the occasion of 'Swatantra Bharat Vajrotsavalu' to showcase the best talent in photography. These awards also give an opportunity and exposure to our local photographers to see the works of people from around the world. “We encourage people from in and around Hyderabad, to take advantage of this opportunity and visit this one-month-long unique exhibit at the State art gallery,” the senior IAS officer said.
“Receiving entries from across 85 countries for our first edition was an overwhelming response. The submissions were outstanding and did pose a challenge for the jury to select nominations as some of the works submitted were simply remarkable,” said Aquin Mathews, Founder and Director, of the Indian Photo Festival and added that they have shortlisted five photographers from Telangana.
The entries were called in for eight categories — Photo journalism, Documentary, Travel and Nature, Wildlife, Street, Portrait, Wedding and Mobiles. Submissions were made by professional and non-professional photographers. The winning images and winning photographers will get an opportunity to travel the world and promote their work.
