Special event

The Stories That Matter

25 May 2024
De Nieuwe Kerk, Amsterdam, the Netherlands

The World Press Photo Foundation and De Nieuwe Kerk present The Stories That Matter – exploring the issues and narratives shaping our world through the eyes of photojournalists and critical thinkers. 

Meet the awarded photographers and hear the stories behind the 2024 World Press Photo Contest winning projects in a day of talks, workshops and performances, taking place amongst the World Press Photo Exhibition 2024 at De Nieuwe Kerk, Amsterdam.

Throughout the day, the 2024 Contest winning photographers, who come from 26 different countries, from Tunisia to Brazil, Japan to Ukraine, and Palestine to Indonesia, will each speak about their work in the Exhibition and engage in conversation with the audience.

They will be joined by other international speakers, makers, thinkers and doers on the main stage and across our workshop spaces to explore and discuss crucial topics impacting our world today.

Join us for this thought-provoking and inspiring day that illuminates the stories that matter. 

Tickets for this event have now sold out. 

Main stage


11:15-12:00
Creative Horizons: AI's journey in art and design
With Vera van der Burg and Felix Pfäffli

Explore the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in art, design and photography with designer and researcher Vera van der Burg and graphic designer Felix Pfäffli.

From collaborative design processes to AI-generated artworks, the session will showcase the diverse applications of AI in the creative sphere. The panel will speak on the impact of AI on artistic expression, storytelling and cultural production and if/how it is reshaping the future of creativity and innovation. AI technologies present challenges as well as opportunities – this discussion explores these two sides of the same coin.


13:00-14:00
Press freedom: Navigating a changing media landscape
With Motaz AzaizaFelipe Dana and Rena Effendi

In this conversation, photojournalists Motaz Azaiza, Felipe Dana and Rena Effendi will explore the evolving landscape of press freedom amidst contemporary challenges.

Motaz, Felipe and Rena will delve into the critical role of photojournalism in upholding democratic principles and holding power to account. They will share first-hand accounts of their experiences navigating censorship, safety and other challenges while striving to document and report on pressing issues around the globe.

This talk offers a timely discussion on the challenges and opportunities in safeguarding press freedom. 


14:00-14:10
Spoken word performance by Ramsey Nasr


15:30-15:40
Performance by Akwasi


15:40-16:30

Community: Perspectives on movement, solidarity and narratives
With Akwasi, Farnoosh Farnia and Tanvi Mishra

Communities around the world are (and have always been) coming together advocating for pressing societal issues, supporting and taking care of their community members. This conversation will focus on the power of community storytelling, with perspectives on movement, solidarity and narratives that are shaped by them.

Speakers Farnoosh Farnia, artistic director of the Fringe Festival and co-founder of the Mezrab Storytelling School; Akwasi, rapper, actor, poet; and Tanvi Mishra, Delhi-based photo editor, curator, and writer, will explore what being part of a community actually means, what their role is in society, how communities connect with the world around them and vice versa.


16:30-16:40
Performance by Akwasi

Photographer talks

Throughout the day, the awarded photographers from the 2024 Contest will be speaking in front of their work in the exhibition. Meet the photographers and hear their stories first hand. 

11:10-12:0015:00-15:50
Europe
Adem Altan
Johanna Maria Fritz
Daniel Chatard
Julia Kochetova
Rena Effendi

11:10-12:00 | 14:10-15:00

South America
Lalo de Almeida
Adriana Loureiro Fernandez
Pablo E. Piovano
Marco Garro
Gabriela Biló

12:00-12:50 | 15:50-16:40
Africa
Vincent Haiges
Lee-Ann Olwage
Zied Ben Romdhane
Felipe Dana and Renata Brito
Arlette Bashizi

11:10-12:00 | 15:00-15:50
North and Central America
Charles-Frédérick Ouellet
Jaime Rojo
Alejandro Cegarra
Mackenzie Calle
Sandra Mehl

12:00-12:50 | 14:10-15:00

Southeast Asia and Oceania
Eddie Jim
Michael Varcas
Aletheia Casey
Arie Basuki

12:00-12:50 | 15:50-16:40
Asia
Ebrahim Noroozi
Wang Naigong
Kazuhiko Matsumura
Zishaan A Latif
Mustafa Hassona
Leon Neal

Workshops


12:00-12:50
What story do you see?
With Farnoosh Farnia and Jugal Bhinde from Mezrab Storytelling School

This interactive workshop will focus on one of the awarded photos from this year's World Press Photo Contest. What story do you see in this picture? What details, movements, colors, people, backgrounds and more activate you in making a narrative? What different angles do others take, and how does this change the story?

During this workshop, you and storytellers from Mezrab will create several narratives based on one image in order to show the power of different perspectives.


14:10-15:00
How to ask questions using zines
With Agata Bar from Growing Pains

Coming from DIY culture, zines are usually self-published [printed matter] publications produced by an individual or a group. Due to their unmediated nature, they allow and invite more direct voices and personal narratives. The immediacy and low-resource production and distribution of a zine make it a perfect medium to explore a theme, incidentally or on a long-term basis. At the same time, they can be used to document, archive and share the working process when working on a layered or long-term project, including side tracks and sub-questions.

In this workshop, Agata Bar will share how Growing Pains – an Amsterdam-based publishing initiative working on the crossroads of visual arts, publishing, conversation, education and human connection – incorporates zines into their practice.

Participants are welcome to bring their zine ideas as well as projects they would like to document and share as a zine. 


Book signings


16:30-18:00
Yearbook signings
Get your copy of the World Press Photo Yearbook 2024 signed by the awarded photographers.


Portfolio reviews


11:00-14:00

Portfolio reviews in collaboration with Fujifilm
Eggertzaal, De Nieuwe Kerk, by invitation only


Download the program PDF

Event information

Location

Dam Square
Amsterdam, the Netherlands

Opening hours

Saturday 25 May 2024
11.00 - 18.00

Tickets

Sold out


Sponsor

Pictoright Fonds

Image credits: Adriana Loureiro Fernandez, for The New York TimesFrank van Beek, ANP