“The Mediterranean is more than a sea — it is an idea, a timeless journey through history, cultures, and the hopes of humanity. As both a bridge and a boundary, it has connected civilizations, inspired philosophies, and given birth to stories that defy time and borders. In this vibrant yet complex space, light and shadow, land and sea, harmony and conflict coexist in a perpetual symphony. Tirana Photo Festival 2025 invited photographers from across the Mediterranean region to explore and reflect this complexity through photography. Over a three-month open call, we received more than 1,000 images, visual stories, and videos, each contributing to a rich and emotional mosaic of the contemporary Mediterranean. This album brings together the 100 best single photographs, 7 most powerful photo series, and the four winning images from the “Seasons of Tirana” category. This year’s theme was inspired by Tirana’s nomination as the Mediterranean Capital of Culture and Dialogue in 2025, alongside the city of Alexandria. With the support of the Municipality of Tirana and the Ministry of Economy, Culture and Innovation, this festival brought back into focus the enduring values of coexistence, dialogue, and artistic expression in a region that often faces deep challenges. At a time when war too often replaces dialogue, this festival delivers a message of peace and shared humanity. Heartfelt thanks to all participating artists, our tireless team, the esteemed jury, and the loyal photography community that has turned this festival into one of the most beloved and respected cultural events in Albania.” – Eva Kushova, Director of DMO Albania
“So, Tirana Photo Festival returns with its 8th edition. The curatorial theme of this year is: “Mediterranean”, a theme that brings forth the artistic inclinations of photographers — Albanian or foreign, amateur, professional, or simply passionate about this medium — across the three Festival categories: Photo Singles, Photo Stories, and Short Video. The Mediterranean is not merely a geographical space, but an idea, a way of life, a state of mind, and a timeless narrative. This sea has always been more than water, sand, and sun; it is a philosophical journey where civilizations have met, clashed, and built shared legacies in a mosaic of cultures, where each wave carries memories of antiquity, and each shore reflects the hopes of the future. As both a natural boundary and a bridge connecting peoples, the Mediterranean has been a cradle of ideas, exchanges, and contradictions. Much more than just a political map, it is a space interwoven with myths, stories, and identities that cannot be confined by set borders, where layered cultures have created a distinct visual model, as well as differences that draw artists to portray the traces of the Mediterranean in every aspect of life. Moreover, today the Mediterranean reflects global tensions and hopes: a region where migration, war, and climate change collide with a long history of tolerance, coexistence, and art — where Albania itself, our very homeland, stands as an emblem of these convergences. For photographers, the Mediterranean is a metaphor for constant movement — of people, ideas, and stories that seek preservation and reinterpretation. Tirana Photo Festival 2025, with the theme “The Mediterranean”, has invited artists to explore and capture this complexity. Through ideas, photographs, and videos, this edition of TFF has become an aesthetic and philosophical journey, where each image unveils a facet of this multidimensional world — a world where light and shadow, water and earth, conflict and harmony coexist eternally like a never-ending symphony.” – Elton Koritari, Curator
