Kuwaiti photographer chosen for professional photography program

BEIRUT: The distinguished body of work by Kuwaiti photographer Mohammed Al-Kouh was chosen as one of nine winning entries at the sixth edition of the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture’s (AFAC) photography program. A short documentary about Failaka Island was presented in a creative style and it was chosen by judging committee of the event, said Director of grants at AFAC Kati Khattar. The documentary shed light on the importance of social life in the Arab world reflected in an innovative and creative way to document the history of the island, she added.

In regards to the program, it offers support for professional photographers with expertise; the winners will get an eight-month scholarship, a production award worth $5,000 to cover project expenses, and a technical support provided by the program’s trainers, she explained. About 92 applicants from 16 Arab countries were submitted; nine projects from Egypt, Sudan, Lebanon, Kuwait, Algeria, Yemen, and Bahrain were accepted.

In their projects, photographers presented a variety of topics including displacement, migration, memory, youth issues, tension, violence, social expectations and others. Arab cultural activists founded the AFAC in 2007 as an independent foundation to support individual artists, writers, researchers, intellectuals, as well as organizations from the Arab region working in the field of arts and culture. Based in Beirut, AFAC works with artists and organizations all over the Arab region and the rest of the world. — KUNA