Photojournalism nominee

Smor San is a slum built on a cemetery in Cambodia's capital Phnom Penh that is still visited by relatives of the deceased. The inhabitants have constructed makeshift houses on top of tombs and coffins, or inhabited vacant burial chambers. Here they eat dinner, watch TV, hang clothes to dry, care for their kids, and sleep – just centimeters away from the dead. They moved into the cemetery with around 200 graves after sand dredging had led to the collapse of their houses on the riverbank.

Steff Gruber (1953) is a Swiss photographer and filmmaker. He worked as a press photographer for Keystone Press and was one of the first filmmakers to explore the docudrama genre. He became internationally known with his documentary LOCATION AFRICA about the filming of COBRA VERDE, the last collaboration between Werner Herzog and Klaus Kinski. His award-winning films have been shown at various international film festivals.
Based on his interest in documentaries, Gruber began shooting photo stories in various countries, focusing, in particular, on human interest subjects and humanist concerns. Visiting places and people on repeated occasions, many of his photo series were produced over a period of several years.
In 2020 Steff Gruber opened the Lumiere.Gallery for digital photo exhibitions.
Steff Gruber is a member of the Swiss Association of Journalists and Photographers IMPRESSUM.

Exhibitions as photgrapher (selection)

2022 FOTO WIEN, Café Prückel, Vienna
2021 photoSchweiz, group exhibition, Zurich
2021 PORTRAITS – Hellerau Photography Awards, finalits exhibition at the Technische Sammlungen Dresden (expected March 27, 2021)
2020/21 New Talents, group exhibition, PEP – Photographic Exploration Project, Bpart Berlin
2020/21 Cambodian Stills, LUMIERE.GALLERY
2020 The International Street Photography Exhibition, group exhibition, Glasgow Gallery of Photography