With the world in an even worse state than usual, Visa pour l’Image is more necessary today than it has ever been. Even more than 37 years ago, when we launched this project that nobody believed in.

For a long time, the main criticism of the festival was that it was too gloomy, too violent, too pessimistic. Unfortunately, we were just a little too ahead of our time. The world is in a bad way, but now everyone is saying so. Everywhere. All the time. Journalism is on the front line of all this bad news around the planet. Some are tempted to be alarmist, to exploit tragedy, spread rumors and incite panic. Not us.

During the evening screenings at Campo Santo and in the exhibitions, we will continue doing what we have always done: showcasing the best in photojournalism. Nuanced and verified information from the field, not from social media; images made by humans, not by generative AI.

After almost forty years of precious collaboration with the city of Perpignan and our other faithful partners, along with my team led by Delphine Lelu, we are more determined than ever to ensure that the festival, and the wonderful work of the photographers, can continue to exist, evolve and reach more and more people. I look forward to announcing new projects in the coming months and years.

Jean-François Leroy,
April 18, 2025,
Director General of Visa pour l'Image