COIMBRA UNITES WITH THE WORLD OF PHOTOGRAPHY AND PHOTOJOURNALISM

Coinciding with its 10th anniversary, AWARD ESTAÇÃO IMAGEM 2019 set stage for the second consecutive year in Coimbra with the city hosting once again the festival of photojournalism associated with the annual awards. Co-organised by the Coimbra City Council, the festival (23 April – 31 July) included exhibitions, screenings, conferences, workshops, and the award competition – the only of its genre dedicated to photojournalism in the Iberian territory. 

Coimbra is now a solid reference in the field of photography internationally.

We had the presence of world-renowned photojournalists in the jury as well as in the conferences with João Silva of The New York Times and Catalina Martin-Chico, a double nominee for World Press Photo 2019, both top highlights in this year’s programme. On the latter, we also underline the ten comprehensive exhibitions showcasing the works of various photojournalists in different venues of the city.

Two of these exhibitions featured the works of Portuguese photojournalists, a heed to Estação Imagem’s own call to mark these first ten years of the award: Overcoming Idai shows the reports of nine photojournalists on the aftermath of the cyclone that devastated Mozambique’s central province of Sofala; and also Crinabel: Onstage and Offstage by Paulo Pimenta.  Opening in tandem at Centro Cultural Penedo da Saudade, we had also Desmond Boylan – News Wire Photographer, an exhibition with the support of AP and Reuters. Belcanto by António Pedro Ferreira could be seen at Teatro Académico de Gil Vicente. George Steinmetz’s Big Food was hosted at Sala da Cidade (Santa Cruz’s old canteen). Yemen, a Hidden War by Véronique de Viguerie was showcased at Sala Pedro Olayo [filho], Convent of São Francisco. Colombia: [Re]birth by Catalina Martin-Chico and The Women’s Eye – Canon Female Ambassadors were both hosted by Pinho Dinis Gallery at Casa Municipal da Cultura. Lastly, Saudade by Bruno Silva was exhibited at the Monastery of Santa Clara-a-Velha.

Also in the programme and hosted at Casa Municipal da Cultura, the three workshops for photojournalists and students of photography this year oriented by João Silva (The New York Times) and Horacio Villalobos (Getty Images), screenings of slideshows on international photojournalism, and documentary films about various photographers.

The ceremony of AWARD ESTAÇÃO IMAGEM 2019 took place once again at the Old Church Hall of the Convent of São Francisco on the 27th of April, followed by a conference by the jury. Headed by Stéphane Arnaud (AFP Chief-Editor of International Photography), the other jury members were: George Steinmetz (Photographer for National Geographic and Geo), Michael Kamber (Director of the Bronx Documentary Centre), and photographer Darrin Zammit Lupi, a regular contributor to Reuters since 1997.

All the award-winning reports coming out of the Prize’s 10th edition can be seen in a final exhibition at Pedro Olayo [filho] Gallery (Convent of São Francisco) from the 28th of June until July 31st.