Cortona on the Move International Photography Festival 2015

The international photography festival Cortona on the Move kicked off its ten-week celebration on July 16, 2015. Since 2011, the festival has attracted some of the world’s top photographers and transformed the city of Cortona into a photography hub. Last year about 25,000 photographers, emerging talents and photography enthusiasts came to came to see the exhibitions.

Cortona on the Move has already made an impact on the photography world in just its five years of showcase history. Time magazine has ranked it as one of its top ten festivals not to be missed. Donald Winslow, editor of News Photographer magazine, defined it as “one of the best festival in Europe, if not the world.” The high praises for the festival come from its attention and respect to the art of photography and also  its unique location. The streets of Cortona and the beautiful Tuscan landscape serve as the backdrop of the exhibitions. The city comes to life as talented artists come to share their work, knowledge, and love of photography with one another. Formerly abandoned structures house photography and video exhibitions where the antiquated buildings juxtapose the contemporary images.

The message of the 2015 festival (July 16-September 27) is to celebrate the journey, whether it’s “real or imaginary, shocking or revolutionary, a voyage of self-discovery or an exposé of the human condition whatever.” This year ,17 exhibitions are displayed, including Giovanni Troilo’s La Ville Noire, the Dark Heart of Europe, which tells the story of Charleroi, a city with rising unemployment, and Mario Giacomelli’s Under the Skin of Reality, a collection of 20 vintage prints, some never before seen.Tomas Van Houtryve’s  exhibition Blue Sky Days shows a unique way of capturing everyday life by attaching his camera to a drone. ( To view the full list of exhibitions click here)  The festival also supports up-and-coming photographers through its workshops and portfolio readings. Emerging photographers also have the opportunity to display their work through Off Circuit exhibitions

A documentary about the Cortona photography festival is in development by Andrea Cocchi and Paola Gallorini of Ballardian Video.

A team of notable photo editors and international experts presented this year’s Happiness on the Move award to Daesung Lee’s Futuristic-Desertification Archaeology in Mongolia. The winning piece is exhibited in next year’s festival.

-Meki Shewangizaw