La Gacilly Photo Festival 2021: Focus on Nordic Photography and Environment

The 18th edition of the Festival Photo de La Gacilly, running until October 31, 2021, in the Breton village of La Gacilly, attracts over 300,000 visitors annually. The free, open-air festival features about twenty exhibitions with a thousand large-format images displayed in gardens, parks, streets, and squares. This year's theme is "Plein Nord," highlighting Scandinavian photographers and the peoples and natural environments of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and Greenland. The festival also participates in the European Heritage Days on September 18-19 with conferences, debates, outdoor screenings, and backstage tours. Featured artists include Finnish master Pentti Sammallahti, known for black-and-white landscapes; Swedish surrealist Erik Johansson, who creates photomontages; and the late Sune Jonsson, who documented rural Sweden. Other photographers include Tiina Itkonen (Arctic and Greenland native life), Ragnar Axelsson (sled dogs), Sanna Kannisto (birds), and AFP photographers Jonathan Näckstrand and Olivier Morin. The festival was founded in 2004 and is located in the birthplace of Yves Rocher cosmetics.