Estonian Song Festival Photo Exhibition Reaches Montpellier Festival in June

French photographer Lucie Berquiere is exhibiting photographs captured at Tallinn Song Festival on the Tallinn Song Festival Grounds at a photo festival in southern France. The exhibition, bearing the Estonian title "Mu isamaa" (My Fatherland), will open in Montpellier on 9-19 June 2025. The strength and unity of the Estonian song festival tradition will thus be presented to French audiences.

French photographer Lucie Berquiere is bringing the spirit of the 2025 Tallinn Song Festival to southern France, where her photographs will be exhibited at the renowned photography festival "Les Boutographies" in Montpellier.

The exhibition opens on 9 June and will be open to visitors until 19 June. Its Estonian title "Mu isamaa" (My Fatherland) refers directly to a song heard at the song festival and also conveys something important about Estonian cultural identity to French audiences.

Berquiere captured through photographs of the song festival held last summer at Tallinn Song Festival Grounds the quiet unity and collective strength present among Estonians. Her photographs capture the emotions of both performers and audiences alike, moments that make the song festival more than just a musical event.

The Estonian Song Festival is inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity and is one of the most important expressions of national identity. At each song festival, tens of thousands of singers gather on the Tallinn Song Festival Grounds along with even more spectators, creating a unique shared experience.

The Montpellier festival "Les Boutographies" is a renowned platform for emerging and mid-career photographers who wish to introduce their work to an international audience. Berquiere's exhibition is also a rare opportunity to introduce Estonian cultural heritage to a wider circle in France.