PRESENTATION OF THE EDITION
A sixth edition, once again made possible through the support of the Institut Français du Maroc, which has stood by us since the inception of Facing the sea in 2019. This photography gathering in Tangier continues to focus on two key pillars:
• mentorship, reserved for photographers from the southern Mediterranean (15 photographers this year)
• a component open to all.
A special feature this year: three photographers honored with three distinct awards, including the new Prix Lumière.
The inaugural Off-site Facing the sea festival has launched in Carcassonne, mirroring the Photo Meetings of Tangier. It features a traveling program comprising exhibitions by Moroccan photographers and lectures at local schools. In May 2025, a session was held at the French School of Tangier’s fine arts department, focusing on the theme “Tell Me About Your Mediterranean” and the concept of the “Neighbor” through photography and drawing.
Presentation of the 2024 edition by her director, Mina Mostefa; interview conducted by Wilfrid Estève (RCF radio):
LOOK-BACK IN PHOTOS
GUEST SPEAKERS/MENTORS
Dimitri Beck (POLKA Magazine)
Stéphanie Gaou (librairie-galerie Les Insolites)
Khalil Nemmaoui (photographe)
Mehdy Mariouch (photographe)
Céline Croze (photographe)
Abla Ababou (Galerie Abla)
Lorenzo Virgili (Centre de formation Transmission et Take your photo coach)
Rafaele Garnot (AFP)
Marie Andrieu (Photo review des RIP d’ Arles)
Marie Sumalla (Journal Le Monde)
Christophe Ralite (NFINITI)
Olivia Colo (Psychologue)
Wilfrid Estève (agence photo et plateforme Hans Lucas)
Jean-Matthieu Gautier (Revue Epic)
Claudio Composti (Art Curator italien)
Mat Jacob (Photographe au collectif Tendance Floue)
Isabelle Habert (Société d’auteur la SAIF)
Sara Giuliattini (Festival parisien Polycopies)
WORKSHOPS
Wednesday, November 27:
– “From online photo sales to NFTs: Protecting and monetizing your copyright,” with Christophe Ralite (CEO, PixWays)
– “Constructing and narrating a photographic series: what to expect from the editing process,” with Lorenzo Virgili (Transmission Training Center / Take Your Photo Coach) and Isabelle Habert (SAIF)
Thursday, November 28:
– “Residencies: adapting your creative approach to a specific location,” with Najat Sabir (IF Tangier) and Ilham Fouwad, joined by the We Speak Citizen team
– “The state of humanist photography,” with Khalil Nemmaoui, Mehdy Mariouch, Céline Croze, and Stéphanie Gaou
– “Publishing and self-publishing: from concept to market,” with Sara Giuliattini (Polycopies), Mat Jacob (Photographer), and Dimitri Beck (Polka)
– “Galleries: solo vs. group exhibitions—how to approach an application,” with Abla Ababou (Galerie Ababou) and Stéphanie Gaou (Galerie Les Insolites)
Friday, November 29:
– “Photography and Psychology,” with Lorenzo Virgili (trainer at Transmission, Take Your Photo Coach, and phototherapist) and Olivia Colo (psychologist)
GRAND PRIX
The 2024 Facing the sea Grand Prix has been awarded to Mouad Zerhouni for his series In search of Hymenaeus.
PRIX RÉVÉLATION
The 2024 Facing the Sea Prix Revelation has been awarded to Charaf Lahib.
PRIX LUMIÈRE
The 2024 Facing the sea Prix Lumière has been awarded to Laurent Demartini for his series Une traversée parisienne avec Joshua Coombes (A journey across Paris with Joshua Coombes).
2024 Photo Meetings : Review by the organizers
This sixth edition was a resounding success, marking the milestone of reaching over 1,000 photographers since May 2019 (up from more than 800 the previous year). The FALM network is effectively the leading platform for photographers from the Mediterranean and Africa.
A highlight of the year was the announcement of the first “Off-site Facing the sea” festival in Carcassonne (May 2025), which was warmly welcomed by the guests, mentors, partners, and photographers in attendance.
2025 will also see the presentation in Morocco of the work resulting from Céline Croze’s residency in Tangier—the second phase of the inaugural FALM residency (Antoine D’Agata x Céline Croze) launched in 2022. With the D’Agata phase having been unveiled in 2023, this marks the completion of a multi-year journey dedicated to nurturing the talent discovered through FALM.
Here’s to the adventure continuing!