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Honorable Mention BIFA 2025 Editorial / Photo Essay

Why?

  • Photographer
    João Coelho
  • Prize
    Honorable Mention in Editorial / Photo Essay

They are still children, but in fact they all have to be adults and play the role of mothers and fathers, taking care of their younger siblings so that their parents can work from sunup to sundown. From a very early age they had to give up the moments when they could freely play and have fun without having a sense of time passing. They don't show resentment or any kind of revolt because it's always been this way, their fathers and mothers went through this too. Their vague, sad gazes reveal that they have grown up too soon. They all ask us the same question: Why?

Human condition has always fascinated me and its study has been a main driver in my work. More than an aesthetic purpose, I intend my photography to arouse feelings, emotions, and convey messages, by telling stories that depict suffering or joy, despair or mutual help, strength or disappointment, or simply resilience in the face of adversity and uncertainty about the future. 

BIFA
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