Workshops and discussion sessions enrich the activities of the Xposure 2026 Festival
Sharjah, 30th January / WAM / Cinema has a pivotal presence within the program of the International Photography Festival “Xposure 2026”, which is organized by the Sharjah Government Media Office in the Aljada area in Sharjah, through an integrated cinematic program and expanded workshops focusing on filmmaking to together form a comprehensive space for visual narrative and present film as a visual language capable of profound expression and human influence.
The Cinema Exposure program brings together screenings of documentaries, short films, animated works and feature films from around the world, with a special focus on human stories, social memory, cultural identity, environmental awareness and personal experiences.
In this context, the international Dutch photographer and filmmaker Elfie Njokikchin confirmed that visual narrative is capable of dismantling the most complex social issues. During a session at the International Photography Festival “Xposure 2026” entitled “Storytelling and How to Reach Your Work to the Right Audience,” she reviewed her professional career and her extensive experience in documenting contemporary human transformations, most notably her long-term project “The Birth of Freedom…Mandela’s Generation of Hope,” which took 18 years to work on and is displayed within the festival’s exhibitions.
Ngokicchin also provided an in-depth reading of the challenges of long-term documentary work, showcasing the lessons she gained in visual narration, photography ethics, and building a career path for photographers in complex media environments.
Ngokicchin concluded her session by offering practical advice to young photographers and filmmakers, urging them not to give in to the prevailing pessimistic view of the difficulty of continuing a career in the field of photojournalism.
For his part, the international photographer Muhammad Muheisen said during a session entitled “Moments in Time: Ethics Behind the Image” that the image is a document that remains and that what is not photographed or told may pass by as if it never happened, stressing that photojournalism is a force for good when it turns into an honest story that protects memory and pushes people to understand and take action.
He explained that children are the most affected by conflicts and that, despite the cruelty, they search for joy and safety wherever they are, so he made them a primary focus in his work, stressing that the role of the photographer does not stop at taking the shot, but rather begins by building trust with the person he is photographing, understanding his culture, and working to ensure that the photo has a real impact on the lives of its owners, even if it is a small step.
Mohammed Muheisen, winner of the Pulitzer Prize twice, also spoke about his years of moving between conflict zones, about his journey between war zones and refugee camps, and about the transformations that made his professional and humanitarian vision, through a platform that brought together the audience with direct testimonies and stories that reflect the essence of the festival as an international space that places human stories at the center of the picture.
During a session entitled “Making Natural Documentary Films,” Australian director, producer, and cinematographer Ibrahim Joffe reviewed his experience in directing and producing two episodes of the “Our Oceans” series, explaining that he spent a full year writing the script and building the narrative structure before filming began. He stressed that natural history films are always based on a clear story, whether it is about animal behavior or a relationship with predation or evasion, and that scientific research forms the basis for creating these narratives.
Joffe referred to stages of his career in documentary filmmaking and his experiences in prominent works in the field of nature and natural history, including the “Tales of Light” series and the fifth episode of the “Our Oceans” series under the title “The Southern Ocean,” where human stories intersect with wildlife narratives, stressing the importance of the initiative in the career of young filmmakers, calling for not waiting for opportunities, but rather creating them by implementing short films to test the idea and vision.
The International Photography Festival “Xposure 2026” revealed one of the most serious environmental and health issues related to the marble industry in the Indian state of Rajasthan, highlighting a shocking paradox between visual beauty and deadly pollution during a dialogue entitled “The Snow Illusion.”
On the “X” platform at the festival, Indian photographer and journalist Smita Sharma transported the audience to a world that at first glance looks like a magical snowy scene before its harsh reality is revealed and revealed that it is nothing but huge accumulations of marble dust that hide beneath their bright whiteness serious health and environmental dangers.
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