Tbilisi Photo Festival Prince Claus Fund Network Partners Tbilisi Photo Festival, founded in 2010, is a platform for cultural and social exchange between international and regional photographers. The festival focusses on photography as a medium for social change and as a storytelling tool for human rights advocacy. Besides the annual Tbilisi Photo Festival the organisation also organises educational programmes, workshops, residencies and artist talks. The Festival aims to be a central meeting point for photography from different regions – Asia, Iran, Turkey, the Arab world and Europe - and to showcase the best of world photography; as well as to promote emerging regional photography. 

Through their work they explore in-depth topics such as child-marriage, lgbti+ rights, and conflict resolution. The organisation is well known, both regionally and internationally, and has a strong track history of working with social issues, while also putting artistic quality front and centre. Over the past 9 years Tbilisi Photo Festival, led by two women, has solidified its position as a leading photography organisation in the region, with a large international network. They pay attention to diversity in all senses in their programming and in who they provide a platform to. They run programmes specifically aimed at female photographers, as well as workshops for disabled young people. In the coming years Tbilisi Photo Festival are aiming to extend their reach in Central Asia and the Balkans in the coming years. Generally speaking Georgian society is quite conservative and Tbilisi Photo Festival is an important voice on social issues in the region. The organisation creates space for discussion and dialogue on topics that are taboo in Georgia, such as child marriages, lgbti+ issues, and conflict resolution. An example of the position that Tbilisi Photo Festival takes is an occurrence from 2013 when lgbti+ activists where chased and attacked by mobs egged on by the church. In response to this the Festival hosted a screening and exhibition on the attacks to show the reality of what had happened, and show the experiences of people from the lgbti+ community. 

The proposed activities Tbilisi Photo Festival want to implement through the Network Partnership will benefit (young) photographers from the region. While portfolio reviews is a well-known and time-tested format for the professional development of photographers it is hard for (young) photographers from the region to gain access to them. Financial limitations, issues obtaining visas to travel and limited local infrastructure all make it difficult for them to travel to Europe or the US. By bringing leading experts to the Tbilisi Photo Festival the organisation will be able to unprecedented opportunity for photographers from the region. By expanding on the Multimedia Lab, they will give more young female photographers the opportunity to develop their careers and professionalise their practice. Outputs

	Three iterations of the annual Tbilisi Photo Festival

	Three portfolio reviews

	Three cycles of the Multimedia Lab, in which a total of 16 young female photographers will participate each year

Outcomes

	Providing better access for local people to international image makes

	Building new connections within the photography scene in the region

	Introducing local heritage and culture from Georgia to the wider world

	Exposing under represented stories from the wider region

	Strengthening the importance of visual heritage as a tool for social change in society

Impact

The long-term impact that Tbilisi Photo Festival strives for is to influence Georgian society to become more open and accepting of differences. By showcasing a wide range of global perspectives, educating young people and hosting public events the organisation hopes to be able to change mind-sets. 

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