Uncategorized jobs telugu November 16, 2025 1 Comments

Indian Photo Festival 2025 Hyderabad Photography Contest

Indian Photo Festival 2025 Returns to Hyderabad: A Global Celebration of Photography

The Indian Photo Festival (IPF), India’s longest-running international photography festival, is all set to return with its 11th edition in Hyderabad. Scheduled from November 20, 2025, to January 4, 2026, the festival will take place at the State Art Gallery, Madhapur, along with several partner venues across the city. Organized by the Lightcraft Foundation and founded by Aquin Mathews, the festival has grown into one of Asia’s most prominent platforms for visual storytelling.

A Festival That Celebrates Photography, Creativity, and Culture

IPF is not just an exhibition — it is a dynamic space where images turn into conversations, stories create bridges between diverse cultures, and photography becomes a tool for social, cultural, and emotional connection. With participants from India, South Korea, Brazil, Iran, Belgium, France, and more, the festival brings global artistic perspectives to Hyderabad.

This year, IPF embraces the theme of celebrating photography that connects, challenges, and inspires. The festival highlights urgent global stories, human emotions, and artistic experimentation through solo exhibitions, group showcases, workshops, talks, and documentary screenings.

Special Programs That Bring Photography to Life

One of the standout features of the 2025 edition is the focus on “Reviving the Art of Slow Photography.” This initiative includes workshops on traditional photographic processes such as:

Analogue photography
Darkroom printing
Gum bichromate (1850)
Cyanotype (1842)

In a world dominated by fast-paced digital images, these workshops encourage photographers to reconnect with craft, intention, and mindful creation.

The festival also offers free portfolio reviews by National Geographic editors, giving emerging Indian photographers a rare opportunity to receive world-class professional guidance.

Additionally, IPF will screen the documentary Nagoba Jatara, directed by Jennifer Alphonse, bringing cultural stories from India’s indigenous communities to a global audience.

Talks, Workshops, and Engaging Sessions

The public program features an impressive lineup of international photographers, filmmakers, editors, and visual storytellers. Visitors can attend talks by:

Newsha Tavakolian, renowned Iranian photojournalist
Julie Hau, Photo Editor, National Geographic
Sudeep Chatterjee, ISC, celebrated cinematographer
Muriel Pénicaud, photographer & former French Minister of Labour

Workshops such as Analogue Photography & Darkroom Printing, along with panel discussions on The Future of Print and The Female Gaze, promise meaningful conversations around creativity, representation, and technology in photography.

Exhibitions That Reflect Global Realities

IPF 2025 brings a wide range of powerful exhibitions, including:

Impermanent Masks (Brazil): A reflection on mortality and identity
Rain Dogs (India): Dogs showcased as storytellers of survival
Better Days (South Korea): A philosophical take on “slow photography”
Murky Waters (India): Five decades of pollution and human resilience
Sudan: In Time of War (UK): Life amid civil conflict
Frontlines of Dignity (France): Stories of women in war-torn Ukraine
Cooking with Taboo (India): Exploring menstrual stigma in Kerala

Group exhibitions from Panos Pictures, Press Trust of India, and APF International Street Photography Awards will also be displayed. The much-awaited IPF Portrait Prize 2025 returns with prizes worth ₹2,00,000.

A Global Platform for Emerging Talent

This year’s global open call received 820 submissions from photographers across 50 countries. A prestigious jury panel, including Nicole Tung, Gurinder Osan, Sukriti Anah Staneley, and Madhavan Pillai, selected the final showcase.

The festival continues its mission of supporting emerging photographers while bringing world-class visual storytelling to India.