Documentary Arts Asia

Advancing visual Literacy & supporting DocumentaryArtistsin Asia

Documentary Arts Asia exists to support the production and dissemination of documentary photography and film in Asia.The Documentary Arts Centers in Chiang Mai, Thailand & Kachin State Burma support documentary artists through a variety of training, library resources, grants, mentoring and exposition / promotion of their work. The organization also strives to gain recognition for the importance of high-quality, independent documentary practice through its own, Artist in Residence program, theater gallery, agency, magazine and documentary arts festival. The Documentary Arts Asia Centers host a broad program of trainings, speakers and events, as well as the promotion and dissemination of independent documentary work by those working with still and moving images across Asia.

It is DAA's hope that through these programs we will be able to influence the rapidly spreading interest in general photography in Asia to help it reach its immense potential for high quality, independent documentary practice. DAA especially aims to assist with the production and promotion of documentary projects which exist outside the mainstream media, particularly those which show the world through the eyes of marginalized communities and expose under-reported issues.

DAA's founder is Ryan Libre, a 2010 Nikon Inspiration Award Winner, a 2011 Chapnick grantee from the W. Eugene Smith Memorial Fund, a grantee of the Pulitzer Center, 2 time TEDx speaker & lecturer at Chiang Mai University's Photo dept