OFF – Ostuni Photo Festival

Ostuni: International Capital of Photography

With its inaugural edition, the OFF – Ostuni Photo Festival brings world-class photography to the heart of Puglia. From June 18 to 21, 2026, the White City, perched on the hills of the Brindisi province, becomes an open-air museum: exhibitions, talks, screenings, and workshops take over the whitewashed alleys, cloisters, and historic palaces of the old town, opening the Apulian village to an international audience and photographers.

The festival is promoted by the Lucie Foundation, the US-based organization that has celebrated the great masters of the lens with the prestigious Lucie Awards since 2003. Spearheading its creation is president and founder Hossein Farmani, who describes the OFF as "a bridge between cultures and visions," an international platform dedicated to imagery hosted by the Municipality of Ostuni.

Over thirty exhibitions throughout the historic center

The heart of the festival lies in its widespread exhibitions: over thirty solo and collective displays set up in a dozen locations across the historic center, including the Cloister of San Francesco and the House of Lucie Ostuni on Corso Giuseppe Garibaldi. Notable names in the solo exhibitions include Steve McCurry with his "Islands" show, Nino Migliori, Lynsey Addario, Carol Guzy, Peter Muller, Arash Khamooshi, Mayco Naing, Maryam Rahmanian, Katerina Angelopoulou, and Abbey Hepner.

Alongside the solo shows, four major collective exhibitions address themes such as resistance, photojournalism, landscape, and archives of trauma. A dedicated space is reserved for "Visions from Puglia," a showcase for local contemporary photographers. The exhibitions open simultaneously on Thursday, June 18, and remain open daily from 1:00 PM to 9:00 PM, with some displays extended in the following weeks.

Talks, workshops, and Photo Marathon

The program goes beyond exhibitions. June 19 and 20 are dedicated to talks, portfolio reviews, and meetings with authors, featuring a masterclass by James Nachtwey, one of the world's most renowned war photojournalists. Practical workshops on darkroom printing, gum oil printing, and digital-to-paper processes are also available.

• Photo Marathon: a 24-hour photography marathon (June 19-20) inviting participants to capture Ostuni through their own lenses;
• OFF Young Competition: a contest for young photographers aged 12 to 18, with winning works exhibited during the festival;
• portfolio reviews with international curators and professionals;
• evening outdoor screenings of reports and photo stories from around the world.

Free admission in the White City

All OFF – Ostuni Photo Festival events are free of charge, subject to registration on the official website. The festival is designed as an opportunity to experience Ostuni in a new light: photography becomes the common thread to rediscover the town's historic center, with its cathedral, alleys, and terraces overlooking the plain of ancient olive trees and the Adriatic Sea. An event that aspires to become a permanent reference point for contemporary photography in Puglia.