'The Daughters of Jazz': A tribute by photographer Omar Ayyashi to pioneering women at the San Sebastian Film Festival

Following its premiere at the Guadalajara International Film Festival, Spanish photographer Omar Ayyashi presented the exhibition 'Las Hijas del Jazz' (The Daughters of Jazz) last Friday at the San Sebastián International Film Festival . This is a project by the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) with support from Acción Cultural Española (AC/E). This project pays tribute to the women who paved the way for freedom a century ago and to all those who continue to fight and create in the present.

The exhibition brings together portraits of contemporary Spanish actresses—such as Aitana Sánchez-Gijón, Milena Smit, Cayetana Guillén Cuervo, Ana Rujas, and Clara Lago—who embody the spirit of historical figures such as Virginia Woolf, María Zambrano, Gabriela Mistral, and María Teresa León. Each work is accompanied by a literary audio from the period , with texts by those silenced women, performed by the actresses portrayed and accessible via QR codes.

The essence of those pioneers permeates the 36 large-format, black and white portraits that are already installed on the Zurriola promenade in San Sebastián, in front of the Kursaal Palace, where they will remain during the 73rd edition of the festival, which will take place until September 27 .

"A beautiful journey," Omar Ayyashi emphasized during the presentation of the exhibition with which he aims to pay tribute to "all the women who, with their attitude and their time, with their will and their strength, with their sacrifices, their courage, perseverance and tenacity, managed to make their certainties transcend and penetrate the hearts of others," explained the photographer, who did not want to forget to remember his father's Palestinian origins , denounce Israel's "genocide" in Gaza and call for peace.

The opening ceremony was attended by actress Hiba Abouk , who lent her voice and image as one of the project's protagonists. Also in attendance were Santiago Herrero Amigo , Director of Cultural and Scientific Relations at AECID; José Andrés Torres Mora, President of Acción Cultural Española (AC/E); Mr. Eneko Goia, Mayor of Donostia-San Sebastián; and José Luis Rebordinos, Director of the San Sebastián International Film Festival, who is celebrating his final edition at the helm of the festival after more than a decade at the helm.

Ayyashi is a photographer who combines aesthetic sensitivity, social commitment , and a constant search for new visual languages . Although he began his career in marketing and advertising after completing a double degree in Business Administration and Management and Tourism, he soon left the office to pursue his vocation: photography.

Trained and professionally developed in cities such as London, Barcelona, ​​New York, and Madrid, Ayyashi has consolidated a distinctive approach that straddles the editorial, the intimate, and the conceptual. He is also a regular contributor to leading magazines and combines his artistic career with that of CEO of the production company StarsCare , a think tank where image, technology, and culture converge in projects that cross disciplines and expand the boundaries of visual storytelling.