THE FESTIVAL

Photography has the power of documenting and witnessing a moment. It is also a door into fiction, to the construction of new realities, the creation of new contexts and possibilities. It is an image that is real and virtual at the same time. A reliable and yet imaginary record. It is tangible yet fictitious.

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Our wish is to let out these two dimensions of photography, mixed and balanced through the different views of our guests. Paraty em Foco 2017’s theme is “Photography: document and fiction”, which invites the participants to go on a trip into the universe of photographic imagery in its fundamental ambiguity.

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PEF 2017 is paying homage to Flávio Damm, a photojournalist who went beyond factual limits and built a poetics inspired on the Bressonian decisive moment. In a context where photographs are not valued for their visual strength, captive to excessively abstract conceptual wandering, we propose a return to what truly matters.

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In its 2016 edition, PEF went through a transformation that also represented a return to its origins. Last year’s theme, “A Festival for All Eyes”, has thus become the motto for the event. Our proposal follows the same path started at that moment: to bring high quality photography, of the most varied trends, to the public and to establish a space where photographers, artists, thinkers, amateurs and enthusiasts in general can meet and exchange experiences.

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This is the spirit with which we make the invitation. Come, live and breathe photography in the lush setting of Paraty.