Cortona on the Move 2016

6th edition of the International Photography Festival in Cortona

From 14 July 2016 to 02 October 2016

Are you ready for one of the most interesting Cortona events 2016? The picturesque Tuscan village, from 14 July to 2 October, will host 'Cortona on the Move 2016', the International Photography Festival directed this year again by Arianna Rinaldo - known photo editor and director of the Ojodepez magazine - who has led the event since 2012.

'Cortona On the Move - Fotografia in viaggio' was started five years ago as a project of the OnTheMove Culture Association with the intention of bringing to Tuscany the biggest names in contemporary photography and enhancing the precious historical archives.
From the very beginning, the Cortona photo exhibition has obtained a huge success: the shots of the most important international photographers, in fact draw the attention of professionals, newcomers, journalists and photography enthusiasts. In this first edition there are as many as 10 major exhibitions and 6 belonging to the 'Cortona Circuito Off', the competition that each year awards five emerging talents by giving them the opportunity to exhibit their shots alongside those of the more famous colleagues.

Over the years, the Cortona OTM has seen the quantity and quality of the works on display as well as the number of visitors increase, almost reaching 30,000 visitors in the last edition. This growing success has made the Tuscan festival known also overseas: in 2013 in fact, 'Time' magazine has placed Cortona On the Move among the ten events not to be missed while in the following year, the famous photojournalist Donald Winslow - editor of the journal News Photographer Magazine - has defined it as 'the best festival in Europe if not the world'.

The goal of the festival is to continually improve its programming, focusing not only on the universal language of photography, but also the enormous artistic and cultural heritage of Tuscany ... and after browsing the Cortona on the move program 2016 it seems that the aimed objective has been achieved!

Cortona on the Move - EXHIBITIONS

 The schedule of the 6 edition Cortona on the move is really rich: for the entire duration of the event, in the historic centre of the town and in the Girifalco Medici Fortress you can attend exhibitions, events, workshops and portfolio readings with the major experts in this field... the Cortona on the move program is capable of satisfying the expectations of the most discerning visitors! 

Below we point out some of the most interesting Cortona photo exhibitions: 

• 'The Larry Towell Show': in his first European retrospective, the renowned Canadian photographer presents the most intimate works related to his family and the life of the Mennonites, but also poignant photo collections made in Palestine, El Salvador, Afghanistan and other war areas. 

• Really poignant shots are presented in Darcy Padilla's exhibition entitled 'Family Love': since 1993, the American photojournalist has followed for 21 years the life of Julia Baird, an AIDS sufferer: the black and white shots bear witness to the hard life of this young woman: from the fight against drug addiction to the discovery of the disease, the attempted escape from poverty to the birth of her daughter, the encounter with her father after 30 years to the time of her tragic death. A project that analyses important social issues through the lives of ordinary people. 

• Also noteworthy is 'Uncut', the splendid work by Italy's Simona Ghizzoni who faces a delicate topic such as female genital mutilation, an archaic and cruel ritual unfortunately nowadays still practiced in many countries. The shots were made in Kenya and Somaliland where, fortunately, with stiff resistance to this abomination has started. Held in Cortona, the photo exhibition aims to bring to light a dramatic reality but also the determination and strength of women who are fighting it. 

• 'Futuristic Archaeology' is the title of the work of the South Korean photographer Daesung Lee, focused on the serious problem of climate change. The exhibition - winner of the Happiness on the move 2015 Award - wants to highlight the inexorable process of desertification in Mongolia and the consequent difficulties of the nomadic populations that have always inhabited these lands. 

• With 'It's what I do', the tenacious American photojournalist Lynsey Addario accompany visitors on a journey around the world in areas ravaged by conflict but little regarded by our mass media. Among the topics covered in his career, the dramatic consequences of the civil war in Darfur, the shameful rapes perpetrated by the military against the Congolese population, Afghan women slaves of the Taliban and the US Army life in war. 

• A new feature of the Cortona Festival 2016 is the exhibition 'أوروب Europa', a special project dedicated to the trips made by migrants and asylum seekers to reach our continent. Famous Magnum photographers and the artistic director of Cortona on the Move, Arianna Rinaldo, have worked on 'Europa', a book written in four languages and distributed among the migrants who, for the first time, are found to be subjects and at the same time recipients of the contents contained in it.

This and more at the Cortona International Photography Festival: from July 14 to October 2, 2016, do not miss this exciting journey through movement, discovery and inner change, set up in one of the most beautiful towns of Tuscany!
To fully enjoy this extraordinary experience, book one of our hotels in Cortona and discover the charm of this small medieval village.