LAST DAY to apply for ADPP!

“When I applied to ADPP, I thought quite plainly that I was going to get funded to work on a project I thought was important. And superficially, that’s what happened. But what I got out of the experience, working with different mentors, watching them work with the other attendees, learning from the discussions and debates (during on and off time), was so much more. I learned to trust my instinct more, that my gut is where the nugget is at. Also, having come from shooting news and features, which can be quite linear, was a chance to experiment with different nonlinear ways to tell a story. Using elements that ask enough questions without saying too much. Developing and experiencing these things in that space proved invaluable for me in my career. What happens in these workshops is transformative, it’s more than just about photography and having a project idea, it’s about breaking free in your head, being a better photographer and better storyteller,” says grantee Sima Diab.

LAST DAY to apply for the Arab Documentary Photography Program, an initiative in collaboration with the Prince Claus Fund and the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture.

Photograph by Sima Diab from her project “She as He,” about Nadia, who at one time in her life dressed as a boy, because passing as a boy would grant her more freedom in society. While Egypt gives women equal rights by law, the society and specifically the family, impose their own rules on girls, believing it preserves female dignity. Nadia’s story is unique and helps tell the story of the lengths that some girls and women will go to bypass the limitations of their female form in public.