For its 22nd edition, the La Gacilly Photo Festival in western France is honouring big names in British photography including Martin Parr, Terry O’Neill and Don McCullin.
"The British don’t do anything like anybody else," La Gacilly Photo Festival’s curator Cyril Drouhet told journalists at a press conference in Paris, as he unveiled the So British theme of this year’s programme.
"They drive on the left, they have their own currency, they play darts, they believe in ghosts and still have a monarchy. And that’s probably why we love them."
Beyond the quirky humour and eccentricity seen in many of the photographs selected for the festival, there is also a keen observation of contemporary society with all its contradictions.
For Drouhet, the British "know how to cleverly capture a soul: the soul of an era, the soul of a country, the human soul."
So near, yet so far
In a thousand-year history made up of "misunderstandings" (read: wars), "hostility" (rivalry), "admiration" (marriages) and "respect" (alliances), Drouhet says that despite all this, France and the United Kingdom have an unbreakable bond.
The British ambassador to Paris Menna Rawlings told journalists: "British photography has always pushed the limits. Photographs are more than just technical images – they are a reflection of global issues, social issues [and] have the power to tell stories."
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Among the exhibits is a poignant link to photographic history, with a tribute to Anna Atkins (1799-1871), a pioneer in the technique of "cyanotypes" used by botanists.
In 1843, Atkins published Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions, considered the first book of its kind and a major reference for scientists as well as an inspiration for contemporary photographers and artists.
The award-winning war reporter Don McCullin has been invited as one of the big names at the festival, with an exhibition entitled "Life and Death, and what’s left behind".
Putting aside his images from war zones, the veteran photographer, born in 1935, has since turned his lens to the landscapes of Somerset, where he now lives.
A British perspective
For Mélina Le Blaye, the festival's director, photography "invites us to open our horizons, and transform ourselves".
"In this world where images are omnipresent but often ephemeral, we want to take the time to contemplate and to put things into perspective," she said.
From Martin Parr’s beachside snapshots to Mary Turner’s unassuming portraits of quiet, run-down mining towns and marginalised communities, it is clear there is no one, single Britain. The social and environmental terrain is uneven and complex, both beautiful and gritty.
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The UK is also synonymous with music that defined generations. The exhibition of work by Terry O’Neill (1938-2019) takes the viewer behind the scenes of the music business with surprising portraits of the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, David Bowie and Elton John, to name a few.
The Year of the Sea
Organisers have also reserved a major part of the festival for nine exhibitions on environmental themes, with a particular focus on what France has designated "The Year of the Sea".
The opening of the festival on 1 June comes a week ahead of a key United Nations Oceans Conference, to be held in Nice from 9 to 13 June.
Stunning images of sea life mix with those from coastal locations facing the effects of climate change, by photographers including France's Laurent Ballesta and India's Supratim Bhattacharjee.
Guided tours of Africa
The environment-themed exhibits also include photo reports from Africa, such as those from French photographer Frédéric Noy, who takes viewers to Tanzania to discover nature sanctuaries in need of protection – such as Udzungwa Mountains National Park, where monkey populations are threatened by urbanisation.
His work explores the difficult choices of local people, aware of the need for preservation, but under pressure to survive – the park's forest being a source of food and firewood.
Noy says it is difficult for locals to accept outsiders when they are distrustful of the West's discourse of "saving the planet", given these same wealthy countries profit from Africa’s resources.
By photographing their plight, Noy is asking the public to see both sides of the story, with "humility and patience".
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Françoise Huguier's work offers a guided tour of her years spent on the African continent – including in Burkina Faso, South Africa, Benin and Ethiopia – as seen in the "Africa and Me" collection.
She became particularly attached to Mali, where she founded the Photographic Encounters of Bamako event in 1994, helping discover artists such as Seydou Keïta and Malik Sidibé – now known around the world.
La Gacilly Photo Festival is outdoors and free to the public from 1 June to 5 October, 2025.
