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The Photographic Nights of Selma Festival is back again for its fifth year, showcasing a plethora of artwork through photography.

The international celebration founded by civil rights activist Jo Anne Bland and her co-founder Stephanie Kossmann who is also a renowned photographer calls for other photographers, art enthusiasts and global visitors of all backgrounds and art experience to reunite at The Carneal ArtsRevive.

Starting Friday, Nov. 1 through Saturday Nov. 2, workshops, seminars and introductory presentations of the photographers’ artwork will take place at 1018 Water Avenue starting at 9 a.m. at The Selma Times-Journal building on the first floor.

Photographer exhibits will be shown all day at the Foot Soldiers Park Administrative suites, Reflections Coffee Shoppe, The Carneal ArtsRevive’s building as well as within the ArtsRevive’s Pocket Park.

Bland said there also will be a photographers’ artwork screening premiering at 7 p.m. on both days, bridging the artistic passion through the photographers who attend from all over the world and the city’s historic importance through the highlight of the citizens of Selma.

“The festival was designed to do just that, to look at photos,” Bland said. “You see what you see, I see what I see and that sparks the conversation.”

Bland said the connection between the history of Selma and the Photographic Nights of Selma Festival can provide people with an ice breaker within conversation and realize they are not so different at all and can enjoy the same things.

The event will showcase a diverse collection of powerful images in a setting that fosters cross-cultural understanding and new friendships, according to the 2024 Photographic Nights of Selma press release.

Not only does the festival provide exposure for participants, it also offers an opportunity for community engagement and education.

Throughout the entire weekend of the event, there will be a wide range of photographic genres from documentaries, fashion, and fine arts that will be displayed in exhibits throughout downtown Selma in places such as The Selma Walton Theatre and Reflections Coffee Shoppe including the Foot Soldiers Park Administrative Suite.

The festival also has a breathtaking evening showcase near the historic Edmund Pettus Bridge at the ArtsRevive that will feature several digital selected works, creating an unforgettable visual experience.

This year, the festival plans to honor Khalil Nemmaoui, a Moroccan photographer who is known because of his expressive exploration of nature, territory and daily life.

Nemmaoui’s work also reflects a profound relationship between humans and their environment, which led to his celebrated series called “La Maison de I’ Arbre,” which is a 2009 Photo-Quai Biennial feature and his 2011 Bamako Encounters award winner that has gained international acclaim, including a recent honorary prize for his work called “Shuffle to the Moon.” Nemmaoui’s work is currently housed in prominent collections such as the Arab World Institute and the Museum of Modern Art in Rabat.

As part of the Photographic Nights of Selma’s mission to foster educational exchange, the international award winners will have the unique opportunity to present their work at sister festivals in France and Morocco.

For more information about the Photographic Nights of Selma, contact Bland at 334-413-1035.