Raymond Depardon and Laurent Ballesta, headliners of Visa pour l’image 2026 in Perpignan

Absolute paradox, Raymond Depardon, exceptional filmmaker and documentarian had never, until then, been programmed at Visa Pour l’Image, organized in Perpignan (Pyrénées-Orientales). And yet, the greatest French photojournalist has documented the lives of the French over the last sixty years. Tirelessly, from roads to hotels, from villages to landscapes.

And the work of Raymond Depardon will be very present during the 38th edition of the festival which will open its rooms from August 29 and continue until September 13. “It is a considerable exhibition of 84 images which was selected with his son Simon. And the choice fell on the treatment of national and international news by Raymond Depardon, with the support of Figaro Magazine” explains Delphine Lelu, one of the managers of Visa pour l’Image.

The most exposed photographer in France

This programming is all the more important for the general public notoriety of Visa pour l’image, as Raymond Depardon is neither more nor less than the most exhibited photographer, almost everywhere in France and even the most visited. Thus, its last exhibition in Montpellier in 2025 broke the attendance record for the popular pavilion, one of the Meccas of photography.

The second real attraction of the meeting is one of Raymond Depardon’s vacation neighbors – in Carnon near Montpellier, in this case Laurent Ballesta, the filmmaker and photographer of the great depths. The artist will offer 47 views, “far from the sky” to accompany him into the world of great human solitude deep in the icy waters of Antarctica, in the troubled waters of the Philippines or in the underwater enchantment of Cap Corse.

Thus “armed” the Visa for Image 2026 could well break an attendance record: 240,000 visitors in 2025, 22,000 schoolchildren. Especially since the pre-program unveiled this week at the Pams hotel still offers a complete scan of the planet seen by photojournalists from around the world: war visit to Sudan with Abdulmonam Eassa, to Lebanon with Diego Ibarra Sànchez, life without life in Chernobyl with Gerd Ludwig or the discovery of Kush, the ultimate drug for the poorest junkies in Africa with Gaël Turine.