The Lens

Few among us can count Michelle Obama as a personal booster, but all of us can now hear from one who does: In anticipation of her March 4 Lens Mix talk, FotoFocus caught up with celebrated director and cinematographer Nadia Hallgren.

An award-winning filmmaker from the Bronx, New York, Nadia Hallgren directed the Emmy Award–nominated documentary Becoming and the Academy Award–shortlisted short documentary After Maria—though those are just two recent titles on a CV packed with acclaimed work.

On March 4, Hallgren will join... Continue reading Documentary Filmmaker Nadia Hallgren Talks Storytelling, the Particular Power of Film, and Getting Beyond Self-Doubt

As FotoFocus celebrates its first decade, we get the behind-the-scenes scoop of how it started—and what the future holds—from eight people who have lived it.

I. Origin Story

TOM SCHIFF, Founder, FotoFocus and CEO, Lightborne: The idea started maybe 12 years ago or so with James Crump, who was the curator of photography at the Cincinnati Art Museum. I mentioned to him that I thought there were never enough photography exhibits in Cincinnati. I thought, If we could have a... Continue reading FotoFocus at 10: An Oral History

Thirteen esteemed artists and curators who have contributed to a decade of FotoFocus programming join from their homes around the world to reflect on where they've been, where they're headed, and the fundamental need for creativity and humanity in times of crisis.

FotoFocus is 10 years old. What started as an organization to promote photography through public exhibitions and lectures in and around Cincinnati soon evolved from funding a Visiting Artist and Lecture Series to producing a Biennial and Symposium for photography and lens-based art. Since 2010, FotoFocus... Continue reading FotoFocus at 10: A Video Road Trip with Past Participants

Whether it's an increase in binge-watching or awareness of daily sights and sounds, the pandemic lockdown has permanently changed the way we, individually and collectively, relate to film—in ways we are still discovering.

While theater marquee lights remain dim—displaying words of wisdom rather than movie showtimes—many of us continue to experience meaningful cinematic moments outside of the traditional theater-going experience. The current pandemic has produced sweeping changes in how we consume media, altering what we watch and how we watch it. But at its core,... Continue reading A Long Intermission: Searching for Cinematic Moments During Covid-19

Political crises are often abstract, even invisible—and thus difficult to record, particularly in a single frame. So how do we, in a state of isolation, move beyond the isolated image to see what's happening?

A friend pointed out recently that the months of isolation have made us not only worried and frustrated but also socially awkward. As we venture out of our pods, we are rusty at communicating, made worse by masks and other safety protocols. You can’t read facial expressions, you don’t know where someone has been, you... Continue reading The Allure and Pitfalls of Seeing Photographs, and the World, in Isolation