Located at the mouth of Saguenay Fjord, the student city of Chicoutimi, Quebec, holds an annual gathering with some of the biggest names in photojournalism. Canadian photographers and photo fans have traveled 450 kilometers north of Montreal, crossed the impressive Parc des Laurentides and are now laying their eyes on the first snowfall of the year.
In 2003, Michel Tremblay, a local photographer and director of the festival, asked some of his colleagues to cover a local subject to be featured in a one-day exhibition. When the event proved successful, the idea of creating an international photojournalism festival was born. In 2010, thanks to the perseverance and support of several partners, Tremblay founded the Zoom Photo Festival. This year, the event is celebrating its fifth anniversary with 23 exhibitions, screenings and conferences in historical sites like La Pulperie, an old factory which, in the early 20th century, was the leading supplier of paper to the European and North American press.
Though far from major cities, the event is able to bring together photographers from across Canada, creating a means of connecting with international photojournalists and publishers. Many Quebec photographers have already crossed borders, like François Pesant, the first recipient of a grant from Reporters Without Borders for An Enemy Within, about rape in the US Military, which is being exhibited. This year, the jury awarded the grant to French photographer Romain Laurendeau (Hans Lucas), for his work Bab El Oued, which will be exhibited here in 2015.
FESTIVAL
ZOOM Photo Festival Saguenay 2014
From October 29th to November 23rd 2014
Chicoutimi
Quebec, Canada
www.zoomphotofestival.ca
