Bucharest Photofest 2023

Bucharest Photofest la Muzeul Național al Țăranului Român / Cinema Muzeul Țăranului

Bucharest Photofest, ajuns la cea de-a 8-a ediție, este un festival-platformă menit să familiarizeze publicul general cu unele dintre cele mai importante, mai actuale și mai relevante repere fotografice, atât locale, cât și internaționale.

• Selecția proiecțiilor de filme ale ediției actuale include 10 filme, iar unele dintre proiecțiile de film sunt urmate de sesiuni q/a cu regizori și invitați speciali.
• Ediția 2023 înseamnă peste 50 de evenimente: expoziții, proiecții de filme, photo walks și ateliere foto, masterclass, discuții și dezbateri, artist talks, recenzii de portofoliu și evenimente educaționale, dar și conferința Bucharest Photofest.
• Cea de-a 8-a ediție reunește peste 150 de artiști locali și internaționali (fotografi, regizori, scriitori, curatori) și le prezintă lucrările și proiectele în expoziții, proiecții de filme, dezbateri și discuții, showcases, ateliere de fotografie sau concerte de muzică live.

Nu numai că este un proiect cultural prezentat sub forma unui concept coerent, dar fotografia este instrumentată ca un mecanism de a pune în discuție unele subiecte sociopolitice și culturale esențiale actuale, făcând prin urmare fotografia un mijloc de educație vizuală. Bucharest Photofest este un proiect care prezintă puterea fotografiei de a surprinde și conecta povești individuale și colective. Festivalul își propune să se raporteze standardele evenimentelor și festivalurilor de fotografie din întreaga lume, precum și să stabilească un reper profesional și artistic în scena artistică românească actuală. INVITAȚI SPECIALI (selecție): Mads Nissen (DK), Ragnar Axelsson RAX (IS), Kiliii Yuyan (USA), Maria Kjartans (IS), Tadas Kazakevicius (LT) și mulți alții.

PROGRAMUL EVENIMENTELOR GĂZDUITE DE MUZEUL NAȚIONAL AL ȚĂRANULUI ROMÂN

1. Dutch Perspectives in documentary photography | Exhibition & Debate  7 oct, 16:00, Sala Noua Galerie  ----- EVENT FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/events/227957020271990/   PROGRAM: 16:00 – VERNISAJUL EXPOZIȚIEI 17:00 – DEZBATERE / PANEL DISCUSSION cu Olivier van Hartingsveldt (NL), David Hup (NL), Sterre Arentsen (NL), Anna Ziya Geerling (NL), Andreea Câmpeanu (RO), Maria Kjartans (IS)(artiști), Ioana Cobzaru (moderator) EXPOZIȚIE Expoziția de grup va întruchipa cele de mai sus, în lumina lucrărilor din 2 serii pentru fiecare fotograf (40 de lucrări în total). Alături de expoziție va avea loc o dezbatere fotografică live, moderată atât de directorul festivalului, cât și de curatorul invitat, în care fotografii olandezi se vor angaja între ei și cu publicul pentru a discuta tema expoziției și sub-temele, dar și povestirea vizuală ca instrument puternic de sensibilizare și de abordare a subiectelor pe care cuvântul rostit le consideră adesea dificile sau prea sensibile pentru a le discuta. Organizația încurajează o discuție animată și își propune, de asemenea, să identifice diferențele dintre diferitele culturi și țări în ceea ce privește crearea de povestiri documentare, găsirea inspirației și utilizarea limbajului vizual și a instrumentelor artistice. DEZBATERE "Scopul este de a însoți expoziția "Dutch Perspectives" de o dezbatere fotografică live organizată ca o discuție de grup, în care fotografii olandezi invitați vor interacționa cu publicul și între ei despre (dar fără a se limita la) diferite moduri de a spune narațiuni vizuale, cum să creeze o serie documentară puternică, cum imaginile susțin textul într-un articol bazat pe fotografie documentară, ceea ce face ca o imagine documentară să fie relevantă. Sub-tema lor la festival este interacțiunea dintre oameni și restul naturii, din perspectiva conviețuirii într-un mediu dat. Dezbaterea va fi moderată de directorul festivalului și curatorul invitat. Scopul este de a invita, de asemenea, 1-2 fotografi documentariști români să participe la panelul de discuții de pe scenă. Fotografii vor avea ocazia să-și evidențieze opiniile cu imagini pe un ecran, făcând discuția mai vie și oferind publicului o călătorie vizuală prin practica și punctul de vedere artistic al fotografului. 2. Facing the forces - Icelandic Perspective | Group Exhibition 7 Oct, 18:00, Sala Noua Galerie EVENT FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/events/1516515742452308/ ● Înfruntarea forțelor - perspectiva islandeză Forțele naturii, întunericul și lumina, sunetele și liniștea trebuie observate și trăite. Este peste tot în jurul nostru, ne modelează și face parte din identitatea noastră.

• Artiști: Jóna Þorvaldsdóttir, Þórdís Erla Ágústsdóttir, Karl Ómarsson, Christine Gísladóttir, Sandra Mjöll Jónsdóttir, Marinó Thorlacius, María Kjartans
• Curator: María Kjartans

3. FILM SCREENINGS AT CINEMA MUZEUL ȚĂRANULUI PROGRAM 10 Oct, 18:00, Cinema Muzeul Țăranului / 20 LEI Tickets: https://eventbook.ro/film/bilete-bucharest-photofest THE SANCTITY OF SPACE DIRECTOR: Renan Ozturk (Sherpa), Freddie Wilkinson CAST: Renan Ozturk (Meru), Freddie Wilkinson, Zach Smith, Brad Washburn, David Roberts 2021 / 102 min / USA / Documentary, Adventure Audio & Sub: RO/EN SYNOPSIS Brad Washburn was the greatest aerial mountain photographer of all time. Hanging out the open door of an airplane, he flew above unmapped mountain ranges - capturing iconic images with which he could make maps, pursue scientific inquiries, discover first ascents, and inspire people. More than eighty years after Washburn first photographed Denali from the air, climbing buddies Renan Ozturk and Freddie Wilkinson look at some of Washburn’s images and have this crazy idea: rather than go up, their dream is to go sideways — across the range’s most forbidding peaks, the Mooses Tooth massif. It’s a decidedly new school way to explore the same landscape Washburn first discovered. As they pioneer the route over the course of two expeditions, enduring freezing bivies, cut ropes, and rockfall along the way, their desire to be the first to complete the audacious line grows into an obsession. But friendships begin to fray when Renan suffers a near fatal brain injury, forcing them to decide what’s most important. When they rendezvous in the small town of Talkeetna for yet another attempt, all bets are off. While the climbing action unfolds, Washburn’s own incredible story comes to life through stunning archivals and recreations. As a young man he turned down Amelia Earhart’s offer to join her on her around the world flight, then pulled off one of the gutsiest exploratory climbs in history - the epic first ascent of Mt. Lucania - but suffered his own fatal plane crash which left two women dead. His superhero wife Barbara ultimately redeemed him, and helped him map and explore the greatest landscapes on Earth, and his relationship with Ansel Adams allowed him to transcend his day-to-day job as Director of the Boston Museum of Science to become something he would never admit to being: an artist. Filmed over a period of five years, The Sanctity Of Space brings together visual elements of the highest order – from Washburn and Adams’s stunning large format black and white photographs to state- of-the-art helicopter cinematography to space photography – with an unforgettable story spanning generations. It’s both a white-knuckle adventure tale, and a celebration of the spirit of exploration. TRAILER https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NT1vfXKy5g 10 Oct, 20:00, Cinema Muzeul Țăranului / 20 LEI ULTIMA TRANSHUMANȚĂ / THE LAST TRANSHUMANCE & FRACTURES (SHORT) with a Q/A session with the director and guests Tickets: https://eventbook.ro/film/bilete-bucharest-photofest-ultima-transhumanta DIRECTOR: Dragoș Lumpan 2023 / 91 min / Romania / Documentary Audio & Sub: RO/EN Filmed in six countries during fifteen years, "The Last Transhumance" takes us into the world of shepherds who walk with their animals very long distances in search for food: an ancient way of life not compatible with the modern world. Some 10.000 years ago, in the Middle East, man first domesticated sheep, and took them ‘on the road.’ That's what shepherds call transhumance. Their journey measures time and space with tools we have forgotten. People and herds swing between plains and mountains, setting in motion a mechanism that has ticked for thousands of years yet is about to stand still. The transhumance clock stops each time a family of shepherds choose to no longer take to the road. Nevertheless, it keeps ticking through the stubbornness of those who continue to sleep among their sheep under the clear sky – the remaining few who still live under the stars. "The Last Transhumance" film is their story. TRAILER https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeyI7IKVNd0 FRACTURES DIRECTORS: María Kjartans & Vala Ómarsdóttir SHORT FILM, ICELAND, 2022, FICTION Fractures / Sprungur is a multimedia piece (a poetic short film and photography installation) written and directed by María Kjartans & Vala Ómarsdóttir. The project was made in Rauðfeldsgjá gorge and its surroundings on Snæfellsnes peninsula, Iceland, at the beginning of June 2021. The project aims to inform the public about the prejudices, isolation and loneliness many individuals with mental health problems face after illness and how difficult it can be for them to get back into life. With the project, we hope to bring a new artistic angle to the discussion about mental health and to give people with mental health problems a voice in the fight for equality and the possibility of everyday life without prejudices after recovery. The character's ideas and voices are based on interviews with these individuals and their families. Fractures was made in Iceland in 2021 and previewed in the gallery of The Association of Icelandic Visual Artists. The film premiered at RIFF - Reykjavik International Film Festival in 2022. 14 Oct, 18:00, Cinema Muzeul Țăranului / 20 LEI MCCURRY: THE PURSUIT OF COLOUR TICKETS: https://eventbook.ro/film/bilete-bucharest-photofest-mccurry-the-pursuit-of-colour DIRECTOR: Denis Delestrac CAST: Steve McCurry 2021 / SPAIN / 90 min / DOCUMENTARY / Audio & Sub: RO-EN SYNOPSIS For the first time, celebrated American photographer Steve McCurry opens up about the stories behind his iconic images and reflects on the defining moments of his extraordinary life and forty-year career. MCCURRY: THE PURSUIT OF COLOR is the first intimate feature length portrait of the contemporary photojournalist Steve McCurry. The one thing more poignant than McCurry’s pictures is his tumultuous 40-year career, which he’s spent travelling the globe essentially alone, capturing candid snapshots depicting the complexity of human life. Exclusive interviews with family, friends, colleagues, and with the photographer himself, bring to life the stories behind some of the most iconic photographs of the 20th century. With unique access to the photographer's creative process and unpublished images, we discover how McCurry’s vulnerabilities set him on the path to greatness and we witness first-hand his commitment to record what defines and unites humankind - a race against time in an increasingly fractured and culturally homogenous world. 14 Oct, 20:00, Cinema Muzeul Țăranului / 30 LEI KOUDELKA CROSSING THE SAME RIVER TICKETS: https://eventbook.ro/film/bilete-bucharest-photofest-koudelka-crossing-the-same-river Director: Coşkun Aşar Cast: Josef Koudelka 2021, Turkey, 81 min / Documentary / Audio & Sub: RO/EN with a Q/A session with the director and guests SYNOPSIS A close look at the legendary Magnum photographer Josef Koudelka's past, memories, his thoughts about photography, his stance on life and his emotional journey through 'Ruins', his last project, which is about the archeological ruins of ancient cities in Mediterranean regions. Following the footsteps of Heraclitus over his quote that "no man ever step in the same river" Josef Koudelka revisits more than 200 Hellenistic and Roman ancient cities he photographed repeatedly over past 26 years. During this epic journey to Mediterranean regions, we witness the moments of joy, tenderness, and silence while focusing on Koudelka’s both artistic and philosophical search for the “maximum”. TRAILER https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZaL6uzaGTw 15 Oct, 17:00, Cinema Muzeul Țăranului / 20 LEI RIVER TICKETS: https://eventbook.ro/film/bilete-bucharest-photofest-river Written and directed by Jennifer Peedom (Sherpa, Mountain) With music by Radiohead, Jonny Greenwood, Richard Tognetti and William Barton Narrated by Willem Dafoe 2022, AUSTRALIA, 75 min / Documentary / Audio & Sub: RO/EN A profound cinematic and musical reflection on how rivers have shaped both the planet’s elaborate landscapes and all human existence. Throughout history, rivers have shaped our landscapes and our journeys; flowed through our cultures and dreams. RIVER takes its audience on a journey through space and time; spanning six continents, and drawing on extraordinary contemporary cinematography, including satellite filming, the film shows rivers on scales and from perspectives never seen before. Its union of image, music and sparse, poetic script create a film that is both dream-like and powerful, honouring the wildness of rivers but also recognising their vulnerability https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFaXlXWEobs 15 Oct, 19:00, Cinema Muzeul Țăranului / 30 LEI GODS OF MEXICO TICKETS: https://eventbook.ro/film/bilete-bucharest-photofest-gods-of-mexico Written and Directed by HELMUT DOSANTOS 2022, MEXICO / USA, 97 min / Documentary SYNOPSIS With visually stunning landscapes and immersive sound, GODS OF MEXICO is a poetic survey of the vast landscapes and rich diversity of several communities of rural Mexico. Using richly saturated color and hypnotic black-and-white interludes, filmmaker Helmut Dosantos takes viewers through salt pans, deserts, highlands, jungle, and underground mines—paying tribute to those who fight to preserve their cultural identity amidst the shadows of modernization. DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT Today we witness rapid socio-economic transformations resulting in the destruction of those local cultures that express a unique relationship with their environment. This film is a wake-up call about the importance of preserving such cultural diversity against a world that wants us more and more homogeneous. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxgaz6mu_D8 The events are part of the 8th edition of the Bucharest Photofest international photography festival, a photography festival that takes place between OCT 6-15, 2023 in Bucharest and has as its central theme IDENTITY. More than 50 events, more than 150 artists, more than 10 venues. Artists from Denmark, Iceland, Greece, The Netherlands, France, Turkey and more. Bucharest Photofest, reaching its 8th edition, is a platform-festival intended to acquaint the public with some of the most important, most up-to-date and most relevant photography landmarks, both local and international. Program → www.bucharestphotofest.ro •TICKETS: https://eventbook.ro/festival/bucharest-photofest #LETSGETVISUAL facebook @BucharestPhotofest instagram @BucharestPhotofest web bucharestphotofest.ro