This year’s edition, themed ‘Finding the View’, brings together leading voices from renowned institutions like the National Geographic Society, Getty Images, and AFP Photos.
Cairo Photo Week — Photopia’s annual flagship photography festival — returns to the streets of Downtown Cairo from May 8th to the 18th.
This year’s edition, themed ‘Finding the View’, brings together leading voices from renowned institutions like the National Geographic Society and Getty Images for 11 days of immersive exhibitions, hands-on workshops, portfolio reviews, thought-provoking talks, and networking opportunities with regional and international creatives.
Whether you’re casually strolling the city’s vibrant streets and stopping by for a visit, an aspiring creative or artist seeking inspiration and knowledge from your surroundings, or an enthusiastic guest satisfying your artistic cravings — Cairo Photo Week invites everyone to join in.
You can secure your tickets by visiting TicketsMarche’s official website or heading to the link in Cairo Photo Week’s Instagram bio. One-day entry starts at EGP 150, while full festival access is priced at EGP 450.
‘Group Therapy: Creative Block’ Workshop by Adam Abd El Ghaffar
📍 AUC Tahrir Square
🕒 Sat, May 10th | 6 PM – 10 PM
Looking for ways to get your creative juices flowing? Film director and writer Adam Abd El Ghaffar is leading a one-day workshop – titled ‘Group Therapy: Creative Block’ – at AUC Tahrir Square, showing you how to build new thinking skills, utilise brainstorming tactics, and efficiently execute ideas to overcome common creative blocks.
‘Introduction to Photobook Making’ Workshop by Rehab Eldalil
📍 AUC Tahrir Square (Except May 14th – Online)
🕒 May 10th, 12th, 14th, 16th & 17th
A five-day ‘Introduction to Photobook Making’ workshop, led by visual storyteller Rehab Eldalil and organised by aka TAWLA collective, will take place at AUC Tahrir. The course covers photobook fundamentals—from editing and printing to binding and market insights—while helping participants develop their own projects using dummy book forms.
Basic InDesign skills and a cohesive photo project (150–400 images in print) are required.
‘A Kind of Magic: The Cinematography of Abdelsalam Mousa’ Exhibition
📍 Cairo Design District, New Cairo
🕒 May 6th-16th
There's a saying that goes, “The camera is like an eye,” and when you think about it, it almost rings true. Both use lenses, rely on light, and capture subjects—storing them as images, whether on film or in memory.
Award-winning cinematographer Abdelsalam Moussa brings this very notion to life in an art exhibition curated by Hala Elkoussy. Visitors can experience a multi-screen immersive installation showcasing Moussa’s work, highlighting how he uses light in film to create such emotional depth and atmosphere, it feels almost magical.
‘The Nile Surfers’ Visual Storytelling Photography Exhibition by Coucla Refaat
📍 Cairo Design District, New Cairo
🕒 May 6th-16th
Stories are often told in different ways—editorially through written articles, visually through images, and emotionally through personal expression—and Coucla Refaat has plenty to share. Witness the beauty of Aswan through Refaat’s eyes in a mesmerizing photographic storytelling exhibition, titled ‘Nile Surfers’, for 11 consecutive days.
It doesn’t just capture the landscape—it also taps into the spirit, culture, joy, rhythm, everyday life, and people of the place, with the Nile as its timeless subject. The showcase is curated by Helmoaz Management.
‘Grain 3rd Edition: Staged vs. Organic’ Analogue Photography Exhibition
📍 16 Adly Street’s El Shourbagy Building (Villa Victoria)
🕒 Thursday, May 8th | 6 PM (runs until May 18th)
Surround yourself with the works of over 40 artists—each with a unique story to tell—at the third edition of the analogue photography exhibition ‘Grain: Staged vs. Organic’, running for 11 days in Downtown Cairo.
‘Season of Us’ Photography Exhibition by Ahmed Hayman & Aisha Alshabrawy
📍 Cinema Radio, Downtown Cairo
🕒 May 8th-18th
Cairo-based photographers Ahmed Hayman and Aisha Alshabrawy are reimagining the often-overlooked artistry of television posters in their photography exhibition ‘Season of Us’. Curated by Heba El Moaz and her art curation team, the show transforms familiar TV visuals into standalone narratives—imbued with each artist’s distinct visual language and emotional tone.
‘Wetiko – The Mind-Virus of Collective Insanity’ Exhibition by Nermine Hammam
📍 The Garage, Downtown Cairo
🕒 May 8th starting 6 PM (runs until May 28th)
‘The Mind-Virus of Collective Insanity’, a soul-stirring art exhibition by Nermine Hammam, delves into the haunting Native American concept of Wetiko—an insidious force said to infect the human psyche, driving it toward self-destruction.
Originating from Algonquian cultures, Wetiko is believed to twist the mind with traits like selfishness, greed, compulsiveness, and spiritual disease.
Through her evocative work, Hammam invites viewers to confront this psychic parasite head-on, offering a visual exploration of the madness, disconnection, and chaos unfolding across the world.
‘Back to the Basics: Two-Day B&W Film Photography’ Workshop by Mansur
📍 Cinema Radio, Downtown Cairo
🕒 May 9th (2PM) & 12th (4PM)
Step into the world of analog photography with Cairo-based film photographer Mansur as they lead a two-day weekend workshop, guiding participants through every step of the process—from loading their first roll to developing their own black-and-white negatives.
The program’s itinerary covers a basic introduction to film photography, highlighting the different types of cameras, how to use various film cameras, utilising different types of films, tips for scanning and archiving negatives, and more.
‘Architectural Heritage: Photography’ Workshop by Nour Refai
📍 Bayt Yakan, El Darb Al Ahmar
🕒 May 9th & 11th | 6 PM to 10 PM
May 10th | Full-Day Practical
Behind every architectural structure lies a story of history and beauty—something architectural photographer Nour Refai will help you uncover.
Leading a three-day ‘Architectural Heritage’ photography workshop at Bayt Yakan in El Darb El Ahmar, Nour will guide participants through the entire process of architectural photography, from capturing both interior and exterior shots to selecting, editing, and curating a portfolio of stunning images.
‘On Writing Art Projects’ Workshop by Ahmed Shawky Hassan
📍 AUC Tahrir Square, Downtown Cairo
🕒 May 9th, 10th, 12th, 14th & 16th
Become the art writing connoisseur you were meant to be in this five-day workshop, led by author and artist Ahmed Shawky Hassan. Titled ‘On Writing Art Projects’, the five-day program teaches participants essential skills in efficient research, thoughtful reflection, and meaningful discussion.
The workshop also includes practical writing exercises, designed to help you develop compelling proposals for artistic projects that pack a punch.
Sard IV Exhibition: Exploring the Narrative through Photography & Sound
📍 41 El Falaki Street, Downtown Cairo
🕒 May 9th starting at 7 PM (runs until May 18th)
This photography exhibition, curated by Faris Zaytoon and Ebrahim Bahaa, brings together 11 photographers under one roof, each sharing a powerful story shaped by emotional depth, personal experiences, and upbringing. Here, photography becomes both a medium and a language—one that captures what’s often too difficult to express in words.
Participating photographers are Abdelrahman Abo Lela, Ariana Saigh, Doaa Adel, Fares Zaitoon, Fatima Joumaa, Imane Djamil, Laura Menassa, Mahmoud Talaat, Mustafa Al-Shami, Nidal Rohmi, and Roba Weheba.
‘Photojournalism Assignments & Organization: Knowledge & Visual Literacy’ Workshop by Marco Longari
📍 Consoleya, Downtown Cairo
🕒 May 9th & 10th | 9 AM till 5 PM
For aspiring and experienced photographers aiming to work in journalistic fields, Africa Chief Photographer Marco Longari is leading an intensive workshop that blends narrative and visual storytelling through hands-on assignments—focusing on knowledge, structure, and visual literacy to produce impactful, well-executed photo stories.
Before the workshop begins, participants will receive a real-world assignment to shoot in the morning—then edit, sequence, caption, and present later that day. In short, they’ll gain hands-on experience in tackling editorial assignments, building visually compelling narratives under time pressure, sharpening their sequencing and editing, and developing strong caption-writing and storytelling skills within journalistic frameworks.
Those who apply are required to have a DSLR or mobile phone capable of shooting RAW footage, in addition to a laptop and editing gear.
‘Mastering Emotional Portraits’ Masterclass by Ahmed Hayman
📍 Consoleya, Downtown Cairo
🕒 Fri, May 9th | 11 AM till 8 PM
Ever tried capturing raw emotion through your lens? Award-winning photographer Ahmed Hayman is leading a workshop that dives into the heart of visual storytelling and emotional portraiture.
In this hands-on experience, you’ll explore how to master the art of portrait photography, work with natural light in any setting, create powerful images using just one light source, connect with your subjects to capture genuine emotion, snap striking environmental portraits, and so much more.
‘AlQahira90’ Exhibition by Randa Shaath
📍 Beit Babelouq, Downtown Cairo
🕒 Fri, May 9th | 7 PM (runs daily until May 18th)
Nothing says “I love you, Cairo” like an exhibition dedicated to the city itself. Photographer Randa Shaath takes us back to the 1970s, revisiting Cairo’s iconic landmarks through her lens—from the mosques of Sultan Hassan, Al-Rifai, and Ibn Tulun to Wekalet al-Ghuri, the Citadel of Saladin, the Museum of Islamic Art, and the Imam al-Shafi’i Mosque.
Many of these places were ones she visited with her librarian, Miss Lilliane, on memorable trips around the city.
‘Activating the Image: Thinking With Family Photographs’ by Keghan Djeghalian & Özge Calafato
📍 AUC Tahrir Square
🕒 May 10th, 16th, 17th & 18th
For four days, Palestinian-Armenian-Dutch visual artist Kegham Djeghalian and Turkish-Dutch lecturer at the University of Amsterdam Özge Calafato are leading a workshop centred around family photographs, inviting guests to dig deep into their family archives and bring a set of one to ten photographs (the more, the merrier) to work with.
Participants will be asked a series of reflective questions around the idea of archiving—what it means to document the past and present, how photographs shape personal and collective narratives, and how one might begin to archive their own history with intention, followed by a reflection on what family photographs reveal about who we are, where we come from, and how we remember.
By the end, each participant will create a personal work—through image, text, or mixed media—rooted in the stories carried by their own family archive.
‘Fashion Photography with Natural Daylight’ by Bassam Allam
📍 AUC Tahrir Square
🕒 May 10th, 11th & 16th | 10 AM – 3 PM
Bassam Allam is hosting a three-day immersive workshop that dives into the art of storytelling through fashion photography—using natural daylight and location setups as your best friend, and learning everything from planning and executing a photoshoot, developing your concept and mood board, and more.
‘Shoot What You See, Feel What You Create’ Photography Workshop by Adel Essam
📍 Maktaby Working Space & Shourbagy Roof, Downtown Cairo
🕒 Sat, May 10th | 11 AM – 5PM
Cairo-based photographer Adel Essam, alongside special guest Henar Sherif, is hosting a one-day workshop for aspiring photographers eager to hone their creative vision and bring it to life. Participants will dive into the process of conceptualizing a photoshoot and learn how to bring their ideas to life—from vision crafting to execution—while gaining valuable market skills like visual storytelling, art direction, concept building, and executing a standout photoshoot.
‘Crafted by SNAP14: Production Workshop' by Nadia El Dasher & Yahya Omar
📍 AUC Tahrir Square
🕒 Sun, May 11th | 11 AM – 3PM
Step into the world of creative production with SNAP14’s Co-Founder & Creative Producer, Nadia El Dasher, and Production Coordinator, Yahya Omar, as they share practical insights and firsthand experience in building and executing a successful production— from receiving a brief and setting a budget to navigating real-world production challenges.
Laptops are required to participate, and admission is free-of-charge.
‘Portraiture in Reportage’ Workshop by Marco Longari
📍 Cinema Radio, Downtown Cairo
🕒 Sun, May 11th | 9 AM – 5PM
Enter the realm of reportage photography with this one-day workshop, where you’ll explore the role of portraiture in visual storytelling. Led by Africa Chief Photographer Marco Longari, the course will guide you through the art of capturing meaningful portraits that enhance documentary narratives—moving beyond stand-alone images to craft compelling, context-rich stories within real-life settings, whether in public spaces or elsewhere.
‘The Art of Sequencing & Storytelling’ Masterclass by Vincent van de Wijngaard
📍 AUC Tahrir Square
🕒 May 12th-13th | 5 PM – 10PM
Vincent van de Wijngaard, a Leiden-hailing photographer and filmmaker with over 30 years of experience in street photography, documentaries, and fashion photography—featured in numerous exhibitions worldwide—is hosting a two-day masterclass on sequencing and storytelling. In this workshop, participants will learn everything they need to know about the art of sequencing and crafting compelling narratives through photography.
Admission to the course is free-of-charge.
‘Capturing Illusions: Unleash Your Creative Vision in Photography’ by Hamada Elrasam
📍 AUC Tahrir Square
🕒 May 13th-17th | 11 AM – 2PM
Photojournalist and videographer Hamada Elrasam is throwing an immersive five-day photography workshop, where you'll learn to bend reality and create stunning, story-driven images with any subject of your choice! Participants will learn how to utilize light, composition, and color to shape their narrative, techniques for playing with truth in their images, and more to unleash their creative potential.
‘The Essence of Form: Masterclass in Black & White Studio Photography’ by Abdallah Sabry
🕒 May 14th-16th
Visual artist and photographer Abdallah Sabry is capturing the timeless elegance of black-and-white studio photography in a three-day intensive masterclass—offering a minimalistic lens into its raw beauty through light, shape, form, and texture. Participants will dive into guided exercises, conceptual thinking, and hands-on shoots, concluding with a final series presentation.
‘Photographs in Motion: Photo-based Film’ Workshop by Marouan Omara
📍 AUC Tahrir Square
🕒 May 15th-17th | 5 PM – 9 PM
Bring your phone, your vision, and your storytelling instinct to Marouan Omara’s upcoming photo-based workshop. The filmmaker and lecturer is leading a three-day masterclass that dives into the creative potential of still images to craft visually striking short films—no fancy equipment needed, just your passion for photography and storytelling.
‘Master Minimalism: Creative Direction, Photography & Light’ Workshop by Alia Radi
📍 AUC Tahrir Square (May 16th | 4 PM – 8 PM)
📍 The Factory, Downtown Cairo (May 17th | 4 PM – 8 PM)
Ready to take your photography skills to the next level? Join creative director and fashion photographer Alia Radi for a two-day workshop that’s all about mastering minimalist photography and creative direction. Learn to nail client briefs, play with lighting, and capture stunning shots with minimal gear and retouching.
‘A Light on Identity: Documentary Fashion Photography’ Workshop by Mohamed Sherif
📍 The Hanger, Downtown Cairo (Meeting Point)
🕒 May 16th-17th
While canvases rely on paintbrushes to come to life, photography holds the same expressive power. Join documentary and fashion photographer Mohamed Sherif for a two-day photography workshop in Downtown Cairo, where Egypt becomes one’s canvas for expressing cultural identity, whilst fashion, documentary storytelling, and personal experiences serve as the tools for shaping their narrative.
Participants can expect to be immersed in guided discussions, on-location shoots, and practical sessions designed to hone their skills in capturing daily life with cultural depth.
‘Grant Writing’ Workshop by Sana Ullah
📍 AUC Tahrir Square
🕒 Fri, May 16th | 10 AM – 2 PM
Learn how to craft successful grant applications with expert guidance from Sana Ullah in this intensive workshop. Designed for individuals and organizations seeking funding for creative projects, this session will equip participants with the essential skills to generate compelling proposals.
Through hands-on activities, attendees will learn how to set SMART goals, create a competitive application, and build a realistic budget. The workshop concludes with an interactive 'Game of Telephone' activity to practice pitching and receive valuable feedback from industry professionals.
‘Mise en Scène from the Archive: Portrait Photography’ Workshop by Céline Burnard
📍 53 Noubar Street (Old Darkroom Cairo), Downtown Cairo
🕒 May 16th-17th | 11 AM – 6PM
Step into the world of historical portraiture in this two-day workshop led by visual artist Céline Burnand – teaching attendees to recreate archival-style portraits through historical re-enactment, using both digital and analog methods. Participants will also explore ways to express identity and narrative in photography by staging their own scenes with props, costumes, and guided experimentation.
