TEHRAN – This year marks the bicentenary of photography; on this occasion, the photography festival “A Glimpse of Life in Times of War” will be held in Paris in the autumn, organized by the Franco-Iranian Center and the New Wave Institute
Focusing on recent conflicts (the 12-day war and the 40-day war that the US and Israel imposed on Iran), the festival explores themes such as daily life and family, emotions and human relationships, the traces of war, historical and cultural heritage, urban spaces, social solidarity, the continuity of life, reconstruction, and hope for the future, Mehr reported.
Following the judging process, 50 selected photographs will be exhibited in Paris. The first exhibition will take place from November 5 to 18, and the second exhibition in Paris, along with the closing ceremony, will be held on December 15 and 16. An exhibition of the selected works in Tehran is also planned for the spring of 2027.
The festival’s jury includes: French photographer and photojournalist Michel Steboun, Iranian documentary filmmaker and photographer Mehrdad Oskoui, French photographer and art historian Guillaume de Sard, Iranian photographer and visual artist Maryam Rahmanian, and Iranian lawyer and international relations specialist Baktash Hosseinimanesh.
The artistic director of the festival is Iranian film director and instructor Mohammadreza Keyvanfar, and the executive director is Seyyed Vahid Yaghoubi.
Photography is an art that, over two centuries, has not only captured the world but has also become one of the most important witnesses to history, the memory of societies, and the narrator of decisive moments in human life. This occasion provides a special opportunity to return to the most fundamental missions of photography: to see, record, and narrate what a society experiences.
In this regard, and in continuation of the cultural and artistic programs of the Franco-Iranian Center, the second edition of the center’s photography competition titled “Times of War” will be held in Paris in November.
The Franco-Iranian Center held the first edition of this series in June 2024 with the theme “Water in Iran” and will hold the second edition of these events in the fall of 2026 with a look at the war and its reflection in Iranian life and society; a visual narrative that, beyond scenes of war and destruction, focuses the gaze of Iranian photographers on humans, daily life, the effects and memories of war, social solidarity, the continuity of life, and hope for the future.
Thus, in the year that Paris celebrates two centuries of photography, this event attempts to once again emphasize the power of the image as a witness to history and a carrier of human memory through the lens of contemporary Iranian photography.
The Franco-Iranian Center was created in 2016 to deepen and develop Franco-Iranian relations in all areas (institutional, economic and commercial, cultural and artistic, sporting, academic, etc.) and work to strengthen ties of friendship between the two peoples of France and Iran, and the two countries.
The Franco-Iranian Center organizes a wide-ranging program of conferences, speeches, and meetings in partnership with other organizations and partners. In 2023, this non-political association was considered to be the most active in Franco-Iranian relations, receiving extensive media coverage.
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