VII Community Presents: Publishing Long-Term Documentary Projects

January 15, 2026
12:00–13:15PM EST
Every few months, this series invites photographers from VII Community to present their stories. VII Community provides ongoing education and support to a network of The VII Foundation’s alums. VII Community is a program of The VII Foundation in partnership with PhotoWings.
 
In this episode, we welcome two members of the VII Community to discuss the publication of their long-term documentary projects.
 
Brazilian artist and visual storyteller, Carolina Arantes, discusses her book First Génération, a documentary about the first generation of French women of African descent born in France, their daily quest for identity, and their fight for a socio-cultural place that legitimizes their dual origin.
 
Canadian photographer Renaud Philippe presents his book RETOMADA, a long-term project that documents the Guarani people’s movement to reclaim their ancestral lands in Brazil. Their struggle is marked by violence, with dozens of Indigenous lives lost each year.
 
This discussion is hosted by contributing photographer to the VII Foundation, Anush Babajanyan.
 

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Retomada Laranjeira Nhanderu - Rio Brilhante/MS - March 05, 2023 - Rosicleia, 22, cleans the soil of a newly reclaimed soya field while a Kaiowá Guarani mason gives instructions for the construction of the prayer house, the first and most important building in the new village. Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. March 6th 2023. © Renaud Philippe.

Participants

Armenian photographer Anush Babajanyan focuses her work on social narratives and personal stories. In addition to working extensively in the Caucasus, she photographs in Central Asia and around the world.
Carolina Arantes is a Brazilian artist and visual storyteller based between France and Brazil, working internationally. Her work is part of the BNF public collection and has been published by The New York Times, Stern, L’OBS, and National Geographic, among others. She has been a National Geographic Explorer since 2020.
Renaud Philippe (b. 1984) is a freelance Canadian documentary photographer based in Québec, specializing in social and environmental issues, with a particular interest in subjects that are under-documented or under-represented in mainstream media.