PRESENTATION OF THE EDITION
An unconventional edition due to the COVID-19 health crisis: activities were spread throughout 2020, featuring three workshops held in Tangier, Sète, and via videoconference. A key in-person event took place in Tangier from December 10 to 14, comprising four days of advanced workshops at the Photography Foundation.
This new edition featured a high-quality program, showcasing works from around ten countries and attended by creators and artists from the Mediterranean region.
Conceived as a laboratory for discovery and reflection on contemporary photographic practices, Facing the Sea 2020 fostered an openness to creative work, encompassing documentary, journalistic, and artistic approaches.
The program is the result of extensive research and relies on the participation of photographers from the Maghreb and France.
LOOK-BACK IN PHOTOS
THE PHOTOGRAPHERS
Céline Croze, photographe indépendante (Casablanca)
Mehdi Mariouch, photographe indépendant (Casablanca)
Khalil Nemmaoui, photographe indépendant (Casablanca)
Amine Houari, du collectif Noorseen (Fès)
Hassan Ouazzani, photographe indépendant (Casablanca)
Aurèle Andrew Benmejdoub, photographe indépendant (Casablanca)
François Beaurain, photographe indépendant (Rabat)
Sarah Charpentier, photographe indépendante (Tanger)
Brahim Benkirane, photographe représenté par Hans Lucas
GUEST SPEAKERS / MENTORS
Dimitri Beck, directeur de la photographie, Revue Polka
Ulrich Lebeuf, directeur artistique, Festival MAP de Toulouse
Jean-Matthieu Gautier, rédacteur en chef, Revue Epic
Lorenzo Virgili, directeur, Take your photo coach (Hans Lucas)
Rafaële Garnot-Sebban, éditrice photo, AFP
Sido Lansari, directeur, Cinémathèque de Tanger
Stéphanie Gaou, librairie galerie tangéroise les Insolites
WORKSHOPS
In-person program from December 10 to 14 at the Tangier Photography Foundation, featuring presentations of the candidates’ work and three thematic workshops:
Friday, December 11
2:00 PM – 6:00 PM — Presentation: participating photographers present their work to the facilitators.
Saturday, December 12
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM — “Long-form photojournalism: what opportunities do magazines offer?” led by Dimitri Beck and Jean-Matthieu Gautier.
3:00 PM – 4:00 PM — “Publishing and exhibiting at a festival: what forms can your photographic work take?” led by Sido Lansari and Ulrich Lebeuf.
4:00 PM – 5:00 PM — “A photographer’s professional identity and agency expectations regarding the international market” led by Lorenzo Virgili and Rafaële Garnot-Sebban.
GRAND PRIX 2020
Not awarded due to COVID
PRIX RÉVÉLATION
The 2020 Face à la mer Breakthrough Award was awarded this year to Giulia Frigieri for her series Surfing Iran.
2020 Photo Meetings: Review by the organizers
Despite the health crisis, initial targets were surpassed thanks to the shift to digital:
– launch of a dedicated website (Facing the Sea network, HD downloads, search engine, distribution via partner agencies such as AFP and Reuters),
– online discussions with renowned speakers during the lockdown,
– and the creation of a publication in collaboration with Revers Éditions.
A highlight of the year was the August launch of the Moroccan collective KOZ Collective (Seif Kousmate, M’hammed Kilito, Yasmine Hatimi, Imane Djamil), made possible by the support provided by Face à la mer since its first edition—the four artists, who did not know each other in 2019, met in Tangier and subsequently during a residency at MACAAL in Marrakech.
New partnerships are taking shape for 2021 (Fotoevidence, Festival Images Singulières, Revue Epic), and participation in Visa pour l’Image helped generate new contacts and confirm agreements with French partners for the upcoming edition.