Antonio Faccilongo

• Name — Antonio Faccilongo • Born — 1979 • Birthplace — Rome, Italy • Occupation — Documentary photographer Filmmaker University photography professor • Notable Works — Habibi • Awards — 2021 World Press Photo Story of the Year • Website — www.antoniofaccilongo.com

Faccilongo started his career as news photographer at Il Messaggero, an Italian newspaper based in Rome. In 2008, he began to deal with stories of international interest and focused his attention on Asia and the Middle East, principally in Israel and Palestine, covering social, political and cultural issues. Faccilongo developed his long-term photography series Habibi to cover the complicated contemporary conflicts of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. According to Firstpost, the series "chronicles love stories set against the backdrop of one of the longest contemporary conflicts, the Israeli-Palestinian war. The story shows the impact of the conflict on Palestinian families and the difficulties they face in preserving their reproductive rights and human dignity." The Guardian writes, "Items left behind by inmates allow us to perceive the absence of men and to understand the emptiness they left in the life of their family members." Habibi won both the World Press Photo Story of the Year from the World Press Photo Foundation and first prize in Long-term projects category. The work was mentioned in Verve magazine and published as a story at Vice. Habibi was selected to be published as a book by an international jury. The book is edited by Sarah Leen, designed by Ramon Pez and includes the poetry of Taha Muhammad Ali. In 2016, for Vice he documented the illegal narcotics trade in Gaza, writing that his work "imposes a socio-anthropological lens to explore escapism and suffering in the face of social malaise." Faccilongo's other long-term projects include Lose The Roots, and All For Love. His stories include "Atomic Rooms", "Fade Away", "Kaitseliit", "(Single) Women", "Wuchale", "Huaxi", and "I am Legend".