Sierro looks through the lens again: SierroFoto holds its fourth edition from 2 to 4 October

Sierro is once again filling up with cameras, ways of seeing and a desire to tell stories. From Friday 2 to Sunday 4 October, this small village in the Almanzora Valley hosts the fourth edition of SierroFoto, the International Seminar on Photography and Documentary Film promoted by its town council.

The event comes with a new date. It had been scheduled for 22 to 24 May but was postponed, and will now be held at the start of autumn, according to the poster released by Turismo Almanzora. The seminar begins on Friday at 17:00 and closes on Sunday at 16:00, over a weekend “full of workshops, talks and socialising around a passion for the image”, as the event listing describes it.

Who will be in Sierro

This year’s tutors are Liv Furman, Pablo Ruiz, Javier Linares, Sergio Caro and José Carlos Castaño. The first four had already taken part in the 2023 edition. Castaño, a photographer, producer and director from Almería, was already one of the driving forces behind the seminar back then, as La Voz de Almería reported. The event is organised by Ocho Lobos, an audiovisual production company devoted to documentary, whose motto sums up the spirit of the gathering well: “Look, listen, feel: that is our way of storytelling”.

What you need to know

• When: from Friday 2 October, at 17:00, to Sunday 4, at 16:00.
• Registration: €15, by bank transfer. Information and registration at Sierro Town Council, on 950 423 404.
• What to bring: a plain black cotton T-shirt, which each participant will personalise using the sublimation technique.
• Who is behind it: it is promoted by Sierro Town Council, funded by Almería Provincial Council and organised by Ocho Lobos, according to the poster.

A small village with a big vision

The previous edition, the third, was held in November 2023. As we reported at the time in elValle Actualidad, its programme included a visit to the Centro Pérez Siquier in Olula del Río, cyanotype and large-format photography workshops, documentary screenings and even a workshop on portraying the village’s older residents.

After all, an international seminar in such a small village is also a way of keeping rural Almería alive: people who arrive, discover Sierro and take its streets and its residents away with them in the camera’s memory.

From elValle Actualidad, we’re letting you know in good time: if photography or documentary is calling you, save the weekend of 2 to 4 October. Sierro is waiting for you with the camera ready.