During the CatchLight Visual Storytelling Summit on May 3, the San Francisco–based nonprofit Catchlight revealed this year’s CatchLight Global Fellows, who received a $30,000 grant to develop their project and engage with the communities portrayed. The organisation has the goal of discovering new forms of narration, different from the traditional documentary visual storytelling: the three photographers chosen for 2025 center the community in both the process and impact of the project, using photography as a tool of change and solidarity.
Rehab Eldalil is a photographer based in Cairo who collaborated with a war survivor in the SWANA region. In the project From the Ashes, I Rose, the artist transformed what the patients at the Doctors Without Borders hospital in Amman experienced into acts of resistance. Moving away from victimhood narratives, Eldalil presents a mixed-media project in which solidarity wins against civilian violence.
Shams (12), Iraq.When Shams was 2 years old, she was injured by an explosion along with her mother Noura A. Noura’s injuries were limited to her hands while Shams was injured in her face, neck, and hands. She has partially lost her eyesight and free hand movement. Since then, Shams has undergone one plastic surgery for her hand. During her visit between March and May 2024, Shams received occupational therapy rehabilitation to gain further handmovement and independence. Shams is an artist and a Tiktoker. She has crafted the Polaroid works using her injured hand and the new skills obtained during her hospital visit. In one of her Polaroid shots of her hand, which she has embellished with cotton balls, Shams writes her name in Arabic.Rehab Eldalil
Sabrine (31), Iraq.Sabrine’s face was severely injured by a car explosion in Mosul, Iraq. She has so far received three stages of treatment at the MSF hospital.Throughout multiple visits, she has bonded with a fellow patient, Begard, who also suffered a major facial injury. Sabrine has taught Begard Arabic and Iraqi dancing. “I can finally bite on an apple,” she said after her latest procedure in April 2024. In her Polaroid photo featuring diamond painting, Sabrine has chosen, for the first time, to show her injury rather than hide it.Rehab Eldalil