Nearly 20 years ago, a massive earthquake devastated the city of Bam in Southeast Iran, killing more than 26,000 people and injuring a further 30,000. Almost the entire population was left homeless. Following the disaster, photographer Nevil Mountford founded Picture People. He traveled to Bam and equipped local residents with disposable cameras and asked them to document the aftermath and recovery. This work was timely and visionary and remains as a document to the resilience and strength in adversity for the local people.
Subsequently, Picture People began training advocates in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East to create positive change in their communities through documentary film. In 2018, Nevil decided to pursue other interests and asked Claudia Modonesi and Nick Danziger, Picture People’s patron, to take charge of the charity.
Now, we are announcing another big change. Picture People is transforming its brand and work so that we can continue to provide groundbreaking and impactful services to communities in need. Despite a challenging 18 months, our team is growing and adapting, we are expanding our programs, and building a strong foundation to continue improving Picture People. The world we work in is changing faster than ever and we realised that we need to evolve with it. Our new brand is a reflection of our renewed commitment to advocating for human rights around the globe.
We worked with award-winning, visionary designers to create a new website, logo and brand that feels modern and reflects our work. A year in the making, we are proud to officially unveil the ‘new’ Picture People.
Along with the new look and feel, events in recent months and years are driving us to ensure that we address social and environmental justice, power dynamics, diversity, inclusiveness, race and gender in the way we design our programs, communicate and evaluate our work. Picture People is committed to providing opportunities and delivering programs to all people, but particularly those who’ve struggled in the face of societal exclusion.
Finally, we are committing to expanding our community. As we explore innovative ways to educate and equip advocates with the tools they need to create change, we invite you to join us. Follow us on social media, partner with us, attend our programs and engage with us as we strive to help people improve human rights through video, digital media and technology.
Picture People is a charitable foundation registered with the Charity Commission in the UK and Northern Ireland (No. 1125716)