Kranj Foto Fest 2025

Kranj Foto Fest is an annual festival of contemporary photography that was established in 2021 with the goal of transforming Kranj, Slovenia, into the epicenter of photography in this part of Europe.

Overview

Kranj is a unique place to host a photo festival: the medieval history of the town mixes with both the present and the future with a view to innovation and creativity. It was here that in 1842, Janez Puhar – the first Slovenian photographer – created a unique process of reproducing photography on glass.

Having this remarkable historical context as a backdrop, Kranj Foto Fest has been created to celebrate photography and its larger significance. It represents a platform for dialogue between photographers, students, curators, educators, photo enthusiasts, and the local community.

Integration into the local community and hospitality chain: Kranj Foto Fest is deeply embedded in the local environment. The festival's vision focuses on the prudent use of available urban infrastructure while respecting the environment in which they operate. Their goal is to preserve the intimate and personal character of the festival and value the individual connections that such a size and format of the event offer. Striking a balance between growing, expanding their audience, and respecting the local tourism framework presents a significant challenge. In this context, they are actively engaged in a dialogue with the Institute for Tourism and Culture Kranj to develop a strategic sustainability plan for the festival’s future.

Respect for landscape and urban planning: Aligned with their commitment to respecting the landscape, urban planning, and architectural heritage of the city, their exhibition scenography is carefully designed to seamlessly integrate curated images into public spaces.

The festival sincerely believes that a photographic event like Kranj Foto Fest has a unique ability to strengthen artists’ confidence by providing ideal conditions for rich discussions. It’s more than just a gathering; the festival is a platform where creative minds come together, knowledge is exchanged, profound discussions take place, connections are formed, and projects are developed.

Their mission is to facilitate such a dialogue for photographers, curators, critics, and photographic editors from Slovenia and beyond its borders.

Among the festival events are guided tours, workshops, and a screening organized by PhMuseum, featuring the shortlisted projects from the PhMuseum 2025 Photography Grant.