2019 Magnum nominee, Zied Ben Romdhane, discusses the Tunisian revolution's effect on his photography, his work on the nation's neglected industrial workers, and the benefits of taking one's time
Zied Ben Romdhane, born in 1981 in Tunisia, shifted his focus to documentary photography in 2011. He published his first book, West of Life, in 2018 with Red Hook Editions. Ben Romdhane’s work is centered around his native Tunisia. He delves into the socio-political contrasts between inland regions and coastal areas, shedding light on how geography shapes these dynamics.
He won the World Press Photo Prize in 2024, was selected for the 6X6 Global Talent Program in 2018 by the World Press Photo Foundation, participated in the Joop Swart Masterclass with World Press Photo, and received the POPCAP award (Africa Image, Basel, 2015). Zied also contributed as the Director of Photography for Fallega (2011), a documentary film documenting the Arab Spring in Tunisia. Furthermore, he actively participated in World Press Photo’s 2013 Reporting Change initiative and was a member of the collectives “Rawiya” and “Native.” Zied Ben Romdhane joined Magnum as a nominee in 2019.