Inaugural Alexandria Photo Week Kicks Off February

The inaugural edition of Alexandria Photo Week is set to open its many doors from February 1st to the 10th, with events dotted around the historic heart of Alexandria in seven major cultural centres. Organised by Photopia, a photography school based in Cairo, the festival will be free to enter for all those who register in advance, and will include exhibitions, lectures, and educational workshops featuring a variety of local and international photographers and image-makers.

Amongst the plethora of exhibitions, the festival will play host to the World Press Photo Foundation’s ‘Resilience: Stories of Women Inspiring Change’, hosted at the French Institute. This special exhibition features prize-winning photos from 2000 to 2021 that highlight the resilience and challenges of women, girls and communities around the world. The festivities will also include a reprisal of ‘Farouk Ibrahim: The Legend’, an exhibit celebrating the Egyptian photographer’s iconic work documenting key moments of his nation’s cultural history.

“Local and international photographers, image-makers, and filmmakers have been carefully selected”, Marwa Abou Leila, founder and managing director of Photopia, tells CairoScene. Her goal is “to promote the interaction between experienced photographers and young people who are passionate about photography.”

The event has also been sponsored by the US Embassy in Cairo. “This event unambiguously showcases the depth of talent in Egypt’s photographic community”, Ruben Harutia, Counselor for Public Affairs at the US Embassy, says. “It conveys clearly the prominence of Alexandria in Egypt’s cultural landscape.”

All exhibitions and events at this 10-day festival will be free to attend. All you need to do is register ahead of time to guarantee entry. For more information, and to find the link to register, visit @alexphotoweek on Instagram.