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"CROSSING GLANCES"
"Crossing Glances" is the title of an exhibition of work
by 17 young photographers from the Mediterranean, which
opens in Rome next month. Their high-quality artistic
photographs, capturing the daily lives, thoughts and
concerns of young people in the Euro-Mediterranean
region, were selected as winners of the eponymous
competition financed by the European Commission's MEDA
Information and Communication programme.
The competition on the theme of the Euro-Mediterranean
partnership, which was open to anyone under 30, was held
in seven EU countries (Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy,
Malta, Slovenia and Spain) and the 10 Mediterranean
partners (Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon,
Morocco, the Palestinian Territories, Tunisia and
Turkey).
The international jury, comprising personalities from
the media and the worlds of art and photography, were
given the difficult task of selecting the winners from
some 5,800 photographs submitted. They paid particular
attention to work that highlighted the principles of
intercultural dialogue and tolerance and underlined a
shared vision of the future in the Mediterranean region,
while bringing an original and innovative approach to
the theme of relations between the countries of Europe
and the Mediterranean.
The winning photographers (click on the name to see
their prizewinning photo) are:
Sabrina Draoui (Algeria)
Stavros Ioannides (Cyprus)
Hanaa Mohamed Abd Elmonem Youssif (Egypt)
Ashraf Kessaissia (France)
Evangelos Kousioras (Greece)
Antonia Zennaro (Italy)
Noa Ben Shalom (Israel)
Suad
Nofal (Jordan)
Haytham Moussawi (Lebanon)
Aron Tanti (Malta)
Fouad Maazouz (Morocco)
Eyad Fathi (Palestinian Territories)
Valentina Pockaj (Slovenia)
Miguel Angel Arenas (Spain)
Muzaffar Salman (Syria)
Mohamed Ben Soltane (Tunisia)
Ercan Aydeniz (Turkey)
All 17 winners of the "Crossing Glances" competition,
most of whom are professional photographers and artists,
have been invited to the official opening of the
exhibition in Rome which will also bring together
personalities from the worlds of politics and
communications as well as photography. During the
opening, a specially-commissioned documentary will be
screened, featuring interviews with the 17 winning
photographers and their views on the competition and the
Euro-Mediterranean partnership. It is expected that the
film will later be shown by television stations in the
17 countries.
After Rome, the exhibition will travel to all the
participating countries with the collaboration of
Italian Embassies and Cultural Institutes. Starting in
Brussels, it will then be held in Morocco (Rabat and
Casablanca), followed by Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt,
Turkey, Syria, Israel and the Palestinian Territories
before making its way to EU member states.
The "Crossing Glances" exhibition is seen as an
opportunity to raise public awareness of the
Mediterranean region as a place of unity and
understanding among the people of Europe, North Africa,
the Near and Middle East, of peace, stability and
prosperity. Photography is an excellent vehicle for
reflecting the reality surrounding the Mediterranean
region's young citizens, requiring no translation or
interpretation thanks to its international nature.
The Crossing Glances Project has an internet site in
four languages (Arabic, French, English and Italian)
with information on the competition, the collaborators
from each country and more:
http://www.euromed-crossingglances.org/site/index.php
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