The Dhaka Edition of the World Press Photo Exhibition 2022 was inaugurated at Drik Gallery in the capital Friday to recognise and celebrate the best photojournalism and documentary produced last year around the world.

Drik Picture Library, in partnership with the World Press Photo Foundation, organised and inaugurated the Exhibition 2022, which is being showcased as part of its worldwide tour, displaying the photo stories from the 65th World Press Photo Contest.

Dutch Ambassador to Bangladesh Anne van Leeuwen inaugurated the exhibition.

World Press Photo Foundation Executive Director Joumana El Zein Khoury, Photographer and former World Press Photo Jury Abir Abdullah, and Managing Director of Drik, ex-jury board chair for the World Press Photo contest and eminent photojournalist Shahidul Alam were also present.

"The World Press Photo is more important than it's ever been because of how vitally important free speech and the free press are to the global community, and all of the images we've seen so far reflect reality. Some of them are heartwarming, while others are gory; and all of that is a collective result of those brave journalists' hardships," Anne said.

"One of the most distressing things you might see, in my opinion, is that these threats occasionally originate from the same institutions and organisations that are supposed to protect free speech in the media. Those of you who are journalists, photojournalists, cartoonists – please know that the international community is with you and that we support you."

Shahidul said: "All these printings and framings in this exhibition were done in Bangladesh, something that happened for the first time; and it happened because there is now a level of trust. The World Press has a regulation that none of the works can be censored, and Drik was the only place in Bangladesh where we could honour this obligation because there is no other venue in this repressive environment that can withstand that pressure."

Read more: 'Bangladesh Press Photo Contest 2022' underway at Drik Gallery

Joumana said: "All these photographs depict stories that have come from all the different regions, and have been selected by juries who understand those regions."

Six continents were involved in the 2022 World Press Photo Contest – Southeast Asia, Oceania, North and Central America, Africa, Asia, and Europe.

The regional winners of the 65th World Press Photo Contest, chosen by an independent jury from 64,823 submissions by 4,066 photographers from 130 countries, are 24 photographers representing 23 countries – Argentina, Australia, Canada, Colombia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Ecuador, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, India, Indonesia, Japan, Madagascar, Mexico, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Palestine, Russia, Sudan, and Thailand.

Providing a variety of perspectives from all corners of the globe, the awarded works exhibit courageous stories, invaluable insights, and a diversity of interpretations – from the undeniable effects of the climate crisis to civil rights movements, and from access to education to preserving indigenous practices and identity, according to the organisers.

This year's global jury board of seven members included Bangladesh's Tanzim Wahab, festival director of the Chobi Mela International Festival of Photography. He was also the chair of the regional jury of Asia. 

From the 24 regional winners in each of the four categories of the World Press Photo's contest model, the 2022 contest jury selected the four global winners.

Kamloops Residential School by Amber Bracken, for The New York Times, was awarded World Press Photo of the Year; Saving Forests with Fire by Matthew Abbott, Australia, for National Geographic/Panos Pictures, World Press Photo Story of the Year; Amazonian Dystopia by Lalo de Almeida, Brazil, for Folha de São Paulo/Panos Pictures, received the World Press Photo Long-Term Project Award; and Blood is a Seed by Isadora Romero, Ecuador, received the World Press Photo Open Format Award.

The World Press Photo Exhibition 2022 premiered in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on April 15 this year, before launching its global tour.

The exhibition in Dhaka will be on display for all till November 21, every day from 3pm to 8pm. 

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