About
FORMAT International Photography Festival was established in 2004 and is the UK’s leading international contemporary festival of photography and related media. It organises a year-round programme of international commissions, open calls, residencies, conferences and collaborations in the UK and internationally and welcomes over 100,000 visitors from all over the world to its biennale.
The festival and off year programmes celebrate the wealth of contemporary photographic practice and feature everything from major conceptual works, participative projects, documentary photography, mobile phone imagery to the archive and all that falls between. We are concerned with what is happening now in the scene and beyond, whilst sharing and contributing to it.
FORMAT is the place to engage with an incredible range of work from new and emerging photographers alongside that of some of the best-known practitioners in the world. FORMAT is focused on developing opportunities for audiences to see, debate, develop, contribute and participate in the best of what photography is and can be, through our comprehensive professional practice programmes and a yearly international photography portfolio review.
Since its beginning FORMAT has strived to develop and respond to new ideas in photography and has given each festival a distinct and stimulating theme to reflect these ideas.
While at the same time at its core the festival has maintained a consistent commitment to inclusivity and participation with regular features such as:
FOCUS: Exhibitions, Commissions, Mass Participation
EXPOSURE: International Open Call
FLASH: Events, Talks, Performance
DEVELOPMENT: Master Classes, Portfolio Reviews, Talks
The biennale edition incorporates many of Derby’s most beautiful buildings and key landmarks including: QUAD, University of Derby, Derby Museum & Art Gallery, Derwent Valley World Heritage Sites, Market Place as well as satellite venues in nearby cities.
FORMAT International Photography Festival is organised by and is a partnership between QUAD and the University of Derby. QUAD is funded and supported by Arts Council England and Derby City Council, with additional support from a range of national and international partners.
FORMAT was founded by Louise Fedotov-Clements and Mike Brown.
