“Foreign View” expands the boundaries of cultural space

The Presidential Library invites everyone to take part in the “Foreign View” International Photo Contest. This project for the seventh time offers nonprofessionals and masters of the art of photography to demonstrate their own look on the most important events in the world around us.

“Cinema is Truth” is a slogan of this photo contest, which will be held from July 6 to December 1, 2016. A choice of common theme is not accidental, photo contest is announced in the Year of Russian Cinema, and the memories of each one linked with cinematograph, in addition, every life is a distinct and truthful film.

Every year the project attracts the attention of a large number of participants due to the democratic rules and conditions of the project. Photographs are accepted in jpeg format with resolution of 300 dpi and up to 5 MB file size. Images must be uploaded without any captions, applied after shooting, either on the official website of the photo contest, or the Instagram, where photo and video with #foreignview2016 tag are going through evaluation of contestants themselves on the basis of the popular vote.

The organizers of the photo competition is traditionally tried to cover the most interesting themes with a widespread response. The “KinoDok” is the one of the most extensive nominations. This category will include the reportage photographs of key events of this and last centuries. “Man with a Movie Camera” will add portraits and genre pictures, covering the professions related to scenic arts and filmmaking. In the nomination called the “New Wave” - a movement, which back in the day have offered a “current moment of truth” to an audience - the participants will be suggested to experiment with artistic means to reflect as accurately as possible the reality that surrounds us; the events that change the history of the world at the moment. The “Street on Screen” nomination was established for the admirers of street-photography. Authors will be able to communicate their visions in full showing the second and third plans, which often set the mood and rate of the frame.

Each year, one of the nominations is dedicated to a regional geography. For six years the participants have covered Japan, Korea, Germany, Holland, Brazil, Austria. This year, the geographic nomination “Through the West to the East” is devoted to China and Greece.

Given the current trends, the Presidential Library for the first time will begin to accept a documentary along with photographs for the photo contest. The “Private Archive” nomination expects the amateur and professional videos on the subjects of social, economic and cultural life, taken both abroad and in home country. In the future, some work can become a part of a feature length movies of the Presidential Library, or its outreach and awareness-raising film production. Running time of the video files of mp4 format should not exceed 5 minutes.

Special nomination in 2016, established jointly with the Administration of the Tyumen Region and regional mass media, is devoted to one of the most extensive and mysterious regions of Russia. “Siberia. I Love You” will let to see the area through the eyes of foreign travelers.

“Foreign View” is the project largely uncommon for just the photo contest. The Presidential Library, as a contemporary cultural center of the country, forms the multimedia exhibitions on the basis of submitted works on the sites of major Russian cities. For example, a photo exhibition recently opened in the Pulkovo Airport, in the past year, the participants’ work was displayed at Vnukovo Airport, at the “LenDok” studio, in the “Rodina” cinema. Photo albums with the best author photographs replenish the Presidential Library fund, become a part of the videos, cards and posters. To win the nomination is only one task of each author in this project, but not the only one, to become part of the international community, which annually creates chronicle of the most striking events of our time for future generations is no less important.