Cairo arts venue Darb 1718 will host the first edition of the Cairographie photography and video festival, which runs from 5 November to 31 December.

The festival will feature an art exhibition and a programme of talks and workshops, jointly organized by Darb 1718 and Photopia.

Cairographie brings together photographers and artists at different stages in their careers – emerging, mid-career and established – to reflect on this year’s theme "Transitions".

Developed by Egyptian photographer Karim El-Hayawan, the theme "centers on the notion and perceptions of how change is conceived, accepted or equally resisted and rejected,” according to the festival’s description.

The exhibition will run until the end of December, with talks running in parallel at weekends. The talks are free and open to the public.

Two workshops will be held on 17 December, one on making a photobook, led by Xenia Nikolskaya, and the other on street photography, led by Sabry Khaled.

Programme of talks:

Thursday, 9 November at 7pm
Art Patronage: A Needed Change
by Art Consultant Saeeda El-Harakany

Friday, 10 November at 6pm
Panel discussion: Photobook Egypt: A Market in Transition
with photographers Heba Khalifa, Yehia El-Alaily, Karim El-Haywan, Xenia Nikolskaya, and moderated by Photopia founder Marwa Abou Leila

Saturday, 11 November 6pm
Panel discussion: Before the Release: There was a Thought.
with Saeeda El-Harakany, Fathi Hawas, Nariman El-Mofty, and moderated by Sabry Khaled

Friday, 17 November at 5pm
Born to Change: Young Artists on the Rise, a series of talks:
Nelly El-Sharkawy: ‘It's not a Must’
Lobna Tarek: ‘It changed me: What did the photostory do to its photographer?’
Hamada El-Rassam: ‘Why Do I Choose Different Styles?’
Ravi Shaker: ‘Stories from the Women's Prison’
Hesham El Sherif: ‘Photography as an Agent of Transformation’
Mohamed Alaa(Mo Al Dee): ‘Change is an Action’

Friday 24 November at 6pm
Shooting the Ghosts, by Simon Njami

Saturday 2 December at 6pm
Photography in Egypt: Origins, Development and Transformations, by Ola Seif

Tuesday 5 December at 6pm
Egypt as Seen Through Foreign Eyes (1850-2017), by Hossam Elouan

Friday 8 December at 6pm
Personal Projects & Storytelling, by Roger Anis

Saturday 9 December at 6pm
Behind the Scenes, by Cairo Bats photography collective.

Programme of workshops:

Friday 17, Saturday 18 November, from 12pm to 5pm
How to Make a Photobook workshop by Xenia Nikolskaya.

Friday, 17 November from 1pm to 6 pm
24/36: A Street Photography Challenge workshop by Sabry Khaled.

Darb 1718, Kasr El-Shamaa St., Old Cairo.

For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts  and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture