Balkans Today. Photography Open Call | 3rd BCK Film Symposium

For its 3rd edition, Balkan Can Kino Film Symposium creates a new sector dedicated exclusively to photography! We are pleased to announce the launch of  an open call for photography projects that will be shown in a pop-up exhibition and in curated projections in different locations in Exarchia neighbourhood in Athens, Greece during October 9th-18th, 2020. 

We invite emerging and established photographers and artists of any age and geographic location to submit lens-based works in a form of photographic series (12 pictures max.) exploring the theme of the open call:  Balkans Today. The present of a wounded landscape.

Aiming to foster connections between the Balkan countries on a contemporary cultural level, we are looking for works that reflect – beyond stereotypes – on the present of the wider Balkan area and its history. We are interested in highlighting the contradictory elements that co-exist in this mountainous region at the southeastern end of the European continent, where ancient ways of life get interrupted by modern day conflicts, where the last wild rivers of Europe are becoming the newest tourist spots and the focal point of growing economic interests, where the communist heritage is turning into capitalist speculation, where life gets re-invented everyday.

SUBMISSIONS:

7-12 images (jpg, 4000px long side, 300dpi, rgb – name your files as SURNAME-name_01.jpg)

Project statement (150 words – name your file as SURNAME-name_statement.pdf)

Short bio (150 words, include contact data and social media links – name your file as SURNAME-name_bio.pdf)

Entry deadline:  September 14th, 2020

Submission is free of charge.
BCK will take care of the production costs*.

Selected works (up to 20) will be shown and screened in different locations in the historic central neighbourhood of Exarchia in Athens. The works will be shown in shop windows of cultural centers, galleries, bookshops, stores and cafes  in the form of a small-scale photo festival. Viewers will be invited to explore the exhibition and the neighbourhood  following a map especially designed for the event.

*Balkan Can Kino is a self-organised and collectively run artistic project, running on a low-budget and on a voluntary basis. Our organisation has a DIY spirit, but we guarantee that we take care of all the details for well curated events. Unfortunately at the moment we can’t offer tickets or accommodation to the selected artists, but  if you wish to come visit we will be pleased to offer accommodation tips and meet you! 

DISCLAIMER: By submitting to the open call, photographers acknowledge:
– they own the copyright of the pictures submitted and that they don’t violate the rights of a third party.
– they give the right to Balkan Can Kino to publish a selection of their images on online and print media in order to promote the exhibition and the 2020 Film Symposium.

Feel free to contact us for any questions & to share this call with people that might be interested.

Organised & curated by:
Evi Stamou (film director)
Penelope Thomaidi (documentary photographer)