Photo Meetings in Tangier
From Tangier to the Mediterranean: the photo Factory.
"A living ecosystem for revealing, creating, and passing on in new ways."
True to its identity, Face à la mer (FALM) is currently structuring itself into a support network and an Academy, both set to launch this year. Extending far beyond the highlight of the gatherings themselves, our platform acts as an incubator for contemporary writing and a professional springboard for emerging artists.
This ecosystem operates on a daily basis through concrete synergies: residencies, institutional and cross-collaborations, educational outreach, a professional hub, and exhibition curation.
Our upcoming events:
• Early October 2026: launch of the international call for applications.
• From November 25 to 29, 2026, the 8th edition of the Rencontres Photo de Tanger will inaugurate this new setting, backed by a community of a thousand photographers supported since 2019.
Mina & Wilfrid
Photo portrait Mina et Wilfrid : Ludo Charles / Hans Lucas
The Rencontres Photo in Tangier were born of the need to break down barriers in perspective, end the isolation of Mediterranean creators, and rebalance the flow of visual narratives between the North and the South. The aim is to make photography an instrument of emancipation, intercultural dialogue, and social justice across the shores of the Mediterranean.
The Academy establishes itself as a vehicle for empowering talent from the Global South. It ensures that stories from the Mediterranean are produced, documented, and driven by local stakeholders, while meeting international standards and achieving global reach.
Four pillars underpin the Academy: ongoing, long-term support; a center of educational excellence; a dual-location campus (Tangier and Carcassonne); and a platform for popular education and civic engagement.
Since its launch in May 2019, Face à la mer has established itself as the leading network of photographers across the Mediterranean and Africa.
Today, our community brings together over a thousand photographers—ranging from emerging talents to established names—united by a shared commitment to visual excellence and strong local roots.
Join us
To apply for the Rencontres Photo of Tangier, register in our directory, or request to join the Face à la mer Academy:
- sign up via our Professional Portal;
- if your application is approved, we will get back to you as soon as possible.
Artistic direction encompasses the curatorial vision, the selection of artists, and the overall conception of exhibitions and residencies. Partnerships strengthen the practical support provided to creators from the very inception of their projects, through the establishment of residencies and the showcasing of the unique perspectives of young photographers from the Mediterranean region.
Since 2019, Face à la mer has established itself as a key platform for observing contemporary photographic practices. Through its flagship awards—the Grand Prix, the Prix Révélation, the Prix Lumière, and now the Magnum Learn Grant—the Rencontres Photo of Tangier does more than simply recognize accomplished images:
- it highlights unique artistic approaches and perspectives capable of questioning our relationship with the world, with places, and with human narratives.
Find full details here regarding past editions of the Face à la mer Photo Meetings in Tangier: photo recaps, lists of mentors and photographers, workshop schedules, and event summaries.
Off-site Face à la mer serves as a cultural bridge across the Mediterranean, inviting reflection on the world around us and offering a deeper understanding through architectural, heritage, cultural, and social comparisons captured in photography.
The festival incorporates an educational component by involving schoolchildren. The aim is to raise young people's awareness of cultural differences, foster exchanges with children in Tangier, and broaden their perspective on life on the other side of the Mediterranean.
Face à la mer comprises a traveling educational component spanning both Morocco and France. The Carcassonne branch serves as the association's second strategic and operational hub, embodying a genuine cultural and solidarity-based bridge between the two shores.
Aligned with European and international cultural cooperation programs in the Mediterranean, this initiative places knowledge sharing and media literacy at the heart of civic and educational engagement.
Face à la mer transcends the traditional festival format to unite a unique ecosystem at the intersection of professional excellence and deep human commitment. By bringing together local public institutions, cultural foundations, copyright advocates, and pioneers of technological solutions, Face à la mer is forging a forward-looking model rooted in solidarity.
Together, these partners combine artistic empowerment, sustainable support for emerging talent, ethical protection for creators, and mastery of the digital tools of tomorrow—thereby establishing Tangier as a hub for vibrant, free, and protected Mediterranean creativity.