The city of Monopoli is preparing to host the 2026 edition of PhEST, the international festival dedicated to photography, art, music and cinema, which will animate the streets of Puglia from August 7 to November 1.
At the center of this festival stands the presence of Fujifilm Italia, which participates as the Main Sponsor.
The Japanese company has laid out a comprehensive program, offering visitors direct involvement through interactive installations, educational programs across the region and support for exhibitions of international scope.
All Fujifilm activities at PhEST 2026
The through-line of the festival revolves around the question “WHAT IF?“, an invitation to explore alternative paths and narrate contemporary reality through the language of images.
Aligning with this creative prompt, Fujifilm Italia supported the sixth edition of the PhEST Pop-Up Open Call, realized in synergy with entities such as LensCulture, PhMuseum and the University of Bari Aldo Moro.
The main recognition, named Fujifilm Italia Award, was awarded to photographer Mirko Sperlonga for his work titled “Why don’t you let yourself be hugged?“.
To reward his narrative ability, the company has provided a mirrorless camera FUJIFILM X-T5 paired with a 16-80mm lens. It is a camera body equipped with a 40 MP sensor, ideal for meeting the needs of professional visual storytellers seeking the highest resolution and versatility.
Experimental exhibitions and photowalks
The blend of authorial expression and technical support finds a prominent space inside the Monastery of San Leonardo, venue of the exhibition “The Portfolio Parade“. Curated by Erik Kessels and originally produced for MIA Photo Fair 2026, this installation breaks the classic exhibition formats to showcase works from around the world.
The works presented take form and substance thanks to printing on silver halide paper FUJICOLOR Crystal Archive DPII Lustre, a technical solution chosen specifically to ensure sharpness, excellent contrasts and superior color rendering.
In addition to the exhibition dimension, the festival promotes active photography practice. During the opening weekend of August 8 and 9, in collaboration with Foto Diego, participants will have the opportunity to join specific Street Photography sessions.
Under the expert guidance of photographers Alex Liverani and Lorenzo Catena, groups, consisting of a maximum of 20 people each, will explore the streets of Monopoli to capture details of the urban space.
Upon payment of a symbolic fee of 16 euros and with their own empty memory card, participants will be provided with devices from the X Series ecosystem, facing composition and light-management challenges.
An immersive experience for collective memory
To complete the offering there is an initiative designed to emotionally engage the general public, set up at the Monastery of San Leonardo. The interactive instax installation invites visitors to position themselves in front of a large reflective surface to shoot or print a photograph in instax mini format.
The idea behind it is to visually answer the question “What if today becomes a memory?“. Day by day, the individual prints will form a collective and layered work directly on the mirror, turning the individual reflection into a shared visual narrative.
The area will be accessible and ready to welcome contributions from attendees during the opening days from 7 to 9 August, and will then come alive again on further weekends that will be announced soon.
Through this suite of initiatives, the company reaffirms its role in promoting the culture of imagery as an accessible and vibrant form of expression.
