Samuel Fosso, a Cameroonian-born Nigerian photographer, reflects on his life’s work in self-portraiture. Over the last 40 years he has embodied many different figures in his self-portraits, from athletes to politicians. In his most recent series, titled “Black Pope,” he challenges the Catholic veneration of whiteness by portraying a Black pope.

In this film, Fosso takes a step back to examine his own motivations behind his creative choices and processes. He also evaluates the social and political undertones of his work, giving us a glimpse into the mind of a visionary at work.

Since 1985, the International Center of Photography has recognized outstanding achievements in photography with its prestigious Infinity Awards. The awards ceremony is also ICP’s primary fundraising benefit, with its revenues assisting the center's various programs.

This year MediaStorm produced films for the following winners: Lifetime Achievement: Bruce Davidson; Applied: Alexandra Bell; Art: Samuel Fosso; Artist's Book: Dayanita Singh, Museum Bhavan; Critical Writing and Research: Maurice Berger, Race Stories column for the Lens section of the New York Times; Documentary and Photojournalism: Amber Bracken; and Emerging Photographer: Natalie Keyssar; and for Online Platform and New Media: Women Photograph.

Samuel Fosso, a Cameroonian-born Nigerian photographer, reflects on his life’s work in self-portraiture. Over the last 40 years he has embodied many different figures in his self-portraits, from athletes to politicians. In his most recent series, titled “Black Pope,” he challenges the Catholic veneration of whiteness by portraying a Black pope.

In this film, Fosso takes a step back to examine his own motivations behind his creative choices and processes. He also evaluates the social and political undertones of his work, giving us a glimpse into the mind of a visionary at work.

Samuel Fosso’s work is as original as it is personal. He is both the subject and creator of his images, just as any self-portrait photographer, but what makes his process truly unique is his spiritual connection to each subject he chooses. In order to tell this story, MediaStorm sought to understand Fosso’s psyche and motivations. In interviewing Fosso, we found that despite his willingness to put himself in the spotlight as the subject of each of his images, he largely believes that his work speaks for itself. In trying to unlock the story behind Fosso as an artist, we had to dive deeper into Fosso’s beliefs as a person.

The duality of Samuel Fosso as the person and the artist proved to be not a limiting factor, but rather, a storytelling element that enhanced the film. In showing Fosso’s frame of mind while creating a piece and juxtaposing his beliefs about the ideas and intentions, we were able to show Fosso as a multidimensional artist and person that ultimately made for a more dynamic documentary subject.

The film premiered on April 9, 2018 at the ICP Infinity Awards Gala in New York City. The film was a special feature of the evening, and a critical fundraising tool.

This film was a collaboration with Harbers Studio and the International Center of Photography.

Harbers Studios turbocharges the efforts of charitable entrepreneurs by helping them tell their stories. Our goal is to help them articulate and share the value of the work they do so they can inspire others to help them do it. Working with some of the best filmmaking talent in the world, Harbers Studios creates compelling visual narratives that enhance the endeavors of organizations working to make the world a better place.

The International Center of Photography (ICP) is the world’s leading institution dedicated to the practice and understanding of photography and the reproduced image in all its forms. Through exhibitions, educational programs, and community outreach, ICP offers an open forum for dialogue about the role images play in our culture. Since ICP’s founding, they have presented more than 500 exhibitions and offered thousands of classes, providing instruction at every level. ICP is a center where photographers and artists, students and scholars can create and interpret the world of the image within our comprehensive educational facilities and archive.

As a privately funded nonprofit arts and education organization, ICP depends in large part on friends such as you for support. Your generosity is vital to ICP as it continues to grow and succeed in its mission: to present photography's extraordinary power to the public.

There are many ways to give to ICP: Donate to the Annual Fund, create a scholarship, sponsor exhibitions and education programs, contribute to the Collection, or make a planned gift.

Since 1985, the International Center of Photography has recognized outstanding achievements in photography with its prestigious Infinity Awards. The awards ceremony is also ICP’s primary fundraising benefit, with its revenues assisting the center's various programs.

Harbers Studios commissioned MediaStorm, on behalf of ICP, to create a short film about each of the recipients to screen at the awards ceremony and to display online. The films pay tribute to the contributions of each artist to the craft and field of photography and demonstrate ICP's commitment to them.