The Last Train from Bishwa Ijtema

• Prize
  Shortlist
• Photographer
  France Leclerc, United States
• Date of Photograph
  January 2020
• Category
  Asia
• Image Location
  Bangladesh
• Socials
• Website
  http://www.franceleclerc.com

Bangladesh, and particularly Dhaka, is well-known for overcrowded commuting trains. As a result, people claim any perch they can on top and all around the train cars. But this practice is never as intense as during the Bishwa Ijtema, a three-day annual gathering of Muslims held in Tongi, a small town by the banks of the river Turag, in the outskirts of Dhaka.
This is a series of images taken at the Tongi station during the most recent Bishwa Ijtema.

• Biography
  France Leclerc, born in Quebec, Canada, is an independent photographer who currently lives in Chicago. Her early career was in academia, but she decided to make a change to pursue her true passion for photography. The most prominent themes of her work are culture (especially disappearing ones), gender, and social inequality. She likes to describe her work as “life photography”, though her approach is a mix between documentary and street photography.
• Awards
  2023 LensCulture Photography Festival, Third Place 2022 Miami Street Photography Festival, Third Place 2021 PX3 Gold Medal Street Photography Category 2021 PX3 Bronze Medal Press Category 2021 PX3 State of the World, Shortlisted 2021 Portrait of Humanity, Finalist 2021 IPA Award People and Lifestyle, Honorable Mention 2021 Siena International Photo Award, Journeys, and Adventure, Honorable Mention