The Thomson Foundation, the entity behind the Mojo competition, called on photographers and journalists from all over the globe to use their photography and storytelling skills to capture the true essence of their respective communities.
The rules of the competition required all participants to film their projects using a mobile camera to showcase the impact technology has had on journalism. Out of 154 entries from 55 countries, Egypt’s own Mostafa Darwish won with his project, which he shot on a train using the camera on his iPhone 5s.
Darwish has made a number of films using broadcasts and DSLR cameras, but this film, which he created using the iMovie application on his phone, was very special to his heart as it was his first time ever winning an international prize.
The heartfelt story begins with Darwish boarding a train at Ramses Station in Cairo and then heading to Ayat. The film captures how commuters feel about a new surge in the prices of train tickets.
“Mostafa’s entry was not a typical news piece, but we didn’t feel that that was a weakness,” said Hosam El Nagar, competition judge, and director of innovation and learning at Thomson Foundation.
Darwish managed to capture the human element of the issue with his shots, successfully achieving the purpose behind his project. He did not focus on one passenger, but rather made them all main characters in his narrative.
“For that reason, the story felt richer and original and demonstrated excellent use of the mobile phone as a medium,” El Naggar stated.
Next July, Darwish will be traveling to attend the Mojofest, where he will receive his prize and also attend the Advanced Mobile Journalism online course from the Thomson Foundation Journalism Now e-learning program with free access