Open Call for Beyond the Silence

‘Beyond the Silence’ is a collaborative project organised by Magnum Photos in partnership with Odesa Photo Festival (Ukraine), Vlast (Kazakhstan), Centro de las Artes San Agustín (Mexico), Africa Artists’ Foundation/LagosPhoto Festival (Nigeria), and the Angkor Photo Festival & Workshops (Cambodia), with the support of the Open Society Foundations and the Ukrainian Institute.

They are now open for applications for Stage 1 of the project.  In Stage 1 of ‘Beyond the Silence’, 15 photographers will be selected from each country/region to take part in a one-day online master class by Fred Ritchin, Dean Emeritus of the International Center of Photography (ICP). The masterclass will be dedicated to discussing the development of long-term projects, engaged visual storytelling, and methods of working with complex topics.

In addition to the masterclass, there will be one online session with the project curator Kateryna Radchenko (Odesa Photo Days Festival) and Giulietta Palumbo (Magnum Photos), during which participants can ask questions and seek clarification about the processes and logistics of the Stage 2 of the project.

Themes

• Applicants can select 1-2 of the themes from the list below which they are interested in creating a photo story on (or to continue an existing project). The elaboration is meant to be a general guide, and photographers can further develop the theme according to their own research and perspectives.
  • From Colonial Rule to Independent Futures
    • What determines the identity of a country? What consequences does a country face in the postcolonial period? How does a long-lasting colonial policy affect the events of today? What are the methods of statehood formation after independence?
  • Violence & Trauma
    • Is it possible to avoid violence? What to do with systematic violence? How to cope with the experience? Is it worthwhile or possible to talk about traumatic experiences? How to talk about violence? How to work with collective trauma?
  • Censorships/Freedom of speech
    • What is forbidden to talk about out loud and why? How is forbidden information encoded and transmitted? Is digital communication changing in society? What are the consequences of disseminating prohibited information? Are new media technologies based on the development of a democratic society and the dissemination of factual information or a method of spreading propaganda and manipulation?
  • Territory: Occupied/Annexed
    • How do they determine which territories belong to which countries? What defines current territorial boundaries? Explore the experience of living under occupation or within an annexed territory—how do individuals and communities reconcile with the artificial division of their land or its integration into another nation? What is it like to live in a territory that is not recognized in the world?
  • Kidnapping & Abduction
    • Can you imagine that one day your child could be kidnapped and held in another country or in an unknown place? Or that anyone could be taken from the street because they have different political views or simply happened to be in the wrong place? Is it possible to avoid kidnapping? Why does the human body become a resource for manipulation?
  • Fight/Adaptation
    • In the face of political upheaval and social injustices, do they stand up and fight for the rights, freedoms, and choices, or do they adapt to the circumstances laid before them? At what point do they choose to voice the positions loudly, or decide to wait and watch quietly? How do you fight for your right to the future? Is it worth risking your life? What alternative methods of struggle are possible? Adaptation as self-defense or passivity?

Funding Information

• US$3000 provided to each participant, to be used at their discretion.
• Duration: 3 months. (During this period, you need to develop your project in its entirety or most of it. It can also be a continuation of existing work, in which case 50% should be new material created during the project.)

Eligibility Criteria

• The open call is for photographers from Southeast Asia, with no age limit.
• Countries: Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar, Brunei, Laos, Timore-Leste, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore
• Photographers from other participating regions (Mexico, Kazakhstan, Nigeria, Ukraine) have to apply via their representative organisations. See the list here.
• Working language: English.

For more information, visit LagosPhoto Festival.