Vrsar, a small beautiful city in Istria, will be hosting the first photo book festival in Croatia, named VISTA SUR, from 9th-11th September. 

The festival was born as a collaboration project between argentinian photographer Martina Victoria Zamudio and croatian photographer Sandra Cvitkovac, who decided to explore the work of photo book authors originally coming from Balkan and South American countries.

The photo book is an ever more emerging genre, especially in north-western Europe and Japan, and has found its place as a fully legitimate art form, affordable for the common consumer. Its unique designs and coherent stories of documentary, fictional, personal and social character differentiate a professional photo book clearly from the photo albums and catalogs often used in commercial and private photography. A photo book could be compared with an essay, a novel, a documentary, or a movie. It is a piece of art with a certain dramaturgy and rhythm, which has the potency of involving the reader-viewer into its own world, as well as becoming a part of his/her world-view. Photo book has an aura of intimacy which allows the artist a broad spectrum of expression and investigation.

The festival is named "Vista Sur"- southern view, with "SUR"- south, as a symbolic connection point between the two world regions, the Balkans and South America. "Sur" - the south, could be taken metaphorically as a counterpoint to the north. South, there, where there is more sun and more emotion, there, where people have more time for each other, for slow consumption, and slow creation. Even when this idea of the south is just a romantic notion in our imaginations, an unreachable point, it is perhaps imbued with a sort of sweet nostalgia for some better future. This year's choice of books for the festival exhibition was particularly oriented on the virtues of slowness,  having time, and the perception of emotions as a time consuming process, however, worthwhile.

As a result of their research on photo book authors from Balkans and South America, the organizers decided to present 20 books made by 17 different authors. The photo book exhibition will be open from the 9th -11th of September in the Comunitá degli Italiani, Vrsar, and the festival will include lectures, a book exhibition and a party!