Yangon photo festival to showcase work of upcoming Myanmar photographers
The fifth Yangon Photo Festival from 24 January to 22 February with the theme “liberty, equality and fraternity” exhibits a broad selection of documentary photography from international acclaimed photographers, and show-cases the work of new and upcoming Myanmar photographers
Under the patronage of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the Yangon Photo Festival, organised by Institut français de Birmanie and International Media Support (IMS), provides the Myanmar public with a selection of the best picture-stories produced around the world and in Myanmar. The festival also offers budding Burmese photographers the opportunity to participate in free training courses with the aim of giving the new generation of Myanmar photographers the tools to be professional documentary photographers.
In photos: 2012 winning photos
From 2009 to 2012, the photo essays produced as a result of these trainings were shown in prestigious photography festivals like Photo Phnom Penh in Cambodia or Visa Pour l’Image and Les Rencontres d’Arles in France. However, only in 2012 were participants able to speak openly for the first time about photo journalism inside Myanmar.
Story-telling through pictures is a key element of freedom of expression. The free training workshops run with the support of IMS will include technical skills training as well as a course in photo essay production with a view to publishing the product on the internet. The training aims to produce a generation of skilled photo and multimedia journalists, capable of producing high-quality news and feature stories for both traditional and digital media.
Close to 200 students have already attended workshops and professional training seminars in previous years during the YPF. They are now professionals, many working for Myanmar and international media, covering important social issues and political events.
On the Yangon Photo Night on 16 February, awards will be presented to the photographers with the best photo series which will of course be featured on the IMS website. IMS will also be represented on the jury panel which features the patron of the festival Aung San Suu Kyi.
IMS has been supporting the Yangon Photo Festival (YPF) since 2009 and has pledged continued support under its new three year programme in Myanmar – Media Development in Support of Democratic Governance & National Reconciliation – funded by Sweden, Norway and Denmark.
Download the programme here and check out the winning photos from last year.
