15th Noorderlicht International Photofestival Behind Walls, Eastern Europe before 1989 September 7 - October 26, 2008 Opening September 6th (invitee only), Guest of honour Antanas Sutkus (founder and chairman of the Association of Lithuanian Art Photographers) Venue: Fries Museum, Leeuwarden, the Netherlands Main exhibition Behind Walls, Eastern Europe before 1989 Never before has photography from all the former Eastern Bloc countries been brought together in a large-scale presentation. With contributions by 37 photographers from 13 countries, Noorderlicht brings to life a world that ceased to exist in 1989. Almost twenty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall Noorderlicht reveals a forgotten wealth of impressive and historically interesting photography, providing a unique insight into life and photography under the repressive regimes behind the Iron Curtain. Behind Walls is the final edition of a quintet on non-Western photography. The previous editions included Africa Inside, Mundos Creados, Nazar and Another Asia. Extra: Ancillary show Beyond Walls, Eastern Europe after 1989 A new Eastern Europe has arisen since 1989. With a critical gaze a new generation of photographers from East and West investigate the enormous social changes in the young democracies. They tell an intriguing story of a world full of contradictions, where the heroic worker has had to transform himself into a critical consumer and a dynamic present still bears the scars of an emotionally charged past. About Noorderlicht Noorderlicht is highly regarded internationally as a passionate and dynamic institution that is able to couple socially engaged content with visual beauty. Since its inception in 1980 Noorderlicht aims to forge exceptional, quality photography into a narrative whole in a highly imaginative manner.