The VII Foundation

OPEN CALL Visual Journalism Program for Native American Storytellers OPEN CALL Visual Journalism Program for Native American Storytellers

A long abandoned cabin sits high in the Black Hills, surrounded by pine trees. Hand written text from Article XVI of the 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty is written in the sky above the cabin, highlighting the hypocrisy and violation of the Treaty. © Tyrel Iron Eyes for The VII Foundation.

Visual Journalism Program for Native American Storytellers, Level 1

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The Stringer: The Man Who Took the Photo

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An Afghan girl sits in front of a bakery in the crowd with Afghan women waiting to receive bread in Kabul, Afghanistan, January 31, 2022. © Ali Khara.

2026/27 VII Mentor Program Cohort

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Ira, 19, supports her boyfriend, Mischa, in the hospital after he lost both his legs defending Ukraine, 2022. © Svet Jacqueline.

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the vii foundation

The VII Foundation is committed to in-depth journalism covering the crucial issues of our time. In a world where beliefs and actions are increasingly out-of-sync with facts and realities, our response is to ensure the truth is documented to enable communities worldwide to make evidence-based choices about the challenges impacting their lives.

EDUCATE

programs → ALUMNI COMMUNITY →

the vii foundation Film Lab A Program for Majority World Voices in film the vii foundation Film Lab A Program for Majority World Voices in film

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Long lines for water and flour are made by women of refugee families. © Ebrahim Alipoor / VII Mentor Program.

Report

EXHIBITIONS → PHOTOGRAPHERS →

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U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) Officer Eugene Goodman confronts protesters as they storm the Capitol in Washington, D.C., after listening to a speech by President Trump on January 6, 2021. A large mob convened in Washington, D.C., for a "Save America" or "Stop the Steal" rally incited by President Trump and stormed the United States Capitol building, fighting with police and damaging offices and rooms as they made their way through the building. As President Trump openly condoned the violence, the D.C mayor called for a 6 PM curfew and mobilized the National Guard. © Ashley Gilbertson / VII.

FILMS

THE STRINGER → EAT UP →

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"The Stringer" Director Bao Nguyen and crew. Ho Chi Minh City. March 2024. © Gary Knight.

ENGAGE

UPCOMING EVENTS → DISPATCHES BLOG →

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Chechnya contact sheet © Christopher Morris.

EVENTS CALENDAR

Event Image — Two men who have just arrived on the Greek island of Lesbos use foil blankets to get warm and dry as they watch two inflatable boats with Syrian refugees approaching the beach coming from the Turkish coast. Every day, around 2.000 refugees, most of them from Syria, arrive on this small holiday island in the Aegean sea. Lesvos, Greece. 09/09/2015. © Espen Rasmussen / VII.

Jun

2026

Photography Ethics Symposium: Online Panel – Representation & Responsibility

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Jun

2026

"Tickling the Devil" premiere at the Krakow Film Festival

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Jun

2026

Photography Ethics Symposium: Online Panel – Photography in the Digital Era

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news

An Afghan girl sits in front of a bakery in the crowd with Afghan women waiting to receive bread in Kabul, Afghanistan, January 31, 2022. © Ali Khara.

INTRODUCING the 2026–2027 VII Mentor Program Cohort

Our open call for application once again received an astounding number of entries, requiring careful review through several selection rounds. In addition to choosing five participants through our open call, we also partnered with Ian Parry Grant to invite the winner, Omar Ashtwy, to be a part of our program. He has been paired with Ali Arkady, himself a former VII Mentee.

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Anti ICE protestors clash with ICE agents outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building during a protest January 17, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Ron haviv in in Minneapolis, Minnesota

“I’ve photographed under dictators, societies on the cusp of breakup, and outright invasion. One of the closest comparisons I see, in terms of class, economics, and values, is the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s...We are not there yet, but when rhetoric is backed by armed force, that’s how escalation begins. We’re starting to get used to the visualization of militarization on the streets,” writes Director of The VII Foundation Ron Haviv.

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Photograph by Ulysse Fiévé.

Dispatches in Exile – Goldziher Fellowship Announced

Applications are now open for the Dispatches in Exile – Goldziher Fellowship, a four-month paid mentorship for a Palestinian journalist living outside Palestine. The fellowship offers comprehensive editorial guidance, a monthly stipend of $500, and publication of selected work on the Dispatches in Exile portal.

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Five Books About the Most Important Photographs of the Vietnam War

"What’s hard to find among the 30,000 books written about the wars in Vietnam are Vietnamese perspectives, and in the books that illuminate the photography and journalism of those wars, the presence of the Vietnamese is even harder to find." — Gary Knight, writing for Literary Hub.

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A boy reacts to getting scolded by other kids in Dargah, Srinagar, on 4th April 2019. © Mumin Gul.

alumni photographers awarded the 2025 W. Eugene Smith Student Grant

Alumni photographers and VII Community members Shubhadeep Mukherjee and Mumin Gul have been awarded the 2025 W. Eugene Smith Student Grant.

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Children from the Teepa family drive the younger siblings home, after a swim in the river. Tūhoe children are taught independence and to care for other family members. Ruatoki, New Zealand, 27 January 2022. © Tatsiana Chypsanava, Pulitzer Center, New Zealand Geographic.

Tatsiana Chypsanava Receives 2026 Vital Impacts Fellowship

Tatsiana Chypsanava, alumni photographer and VII Community member from Aotearoa, New Zealand, has been awarded the Dr Sylvia Earle Fellowship in support of her long-term documentary project, "Ruatoki." This fellowship is part of $50,000 in awards presented by Vital Impacts to photographers worldwide.

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Bao Nguyen by Miguel Martinez.

The VII Foundation Film Lab Mentors

The VII Foundation proudly announces its first three Film Lab mentors: Moses Bwayo, Mandy Chang, and Bao Nguyen. This immersive program includes four weeks of interactive online sessions and a week-long in-person workshop at The VII Foundation Campus in Arles, France.

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"The Stringer" screening at UCLA

UCLA hosted the team behind "The Stringer" for a special screening of the documentary (now streaming globally on Netflix) at the Billy Wilder Cinema. The event featured a warm welcome and standing ovation for Nguyễn Thành Nghệ and his family.

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A self-portrait of the photographer holding a bouquet of cotton flowers, veiled, in her grandmother's old kitchen in the family’s home in El Mehalla El Kobra, Egypt, on Jan. 20, 2021. © Amina Kadous.

VII Mentee Amina Kadous awarded the Global Focus Award

VII Mentee Amina Kadous has been awarded the Global Focus Award at the Xposure International Photography Festival, representing Africa. Amina attended the festival alongside alumni photographer Oyewole Lawal, who also received an award, and contributing photographer Ilvy Njiokiktjien, who delivered a lecture.

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