Celebrating it’s sixth year, MOPLA returns to Los Angeles through the month of April with a dynamic lineup of events and original programming in celebration of the photographic image.

This year’s theme, Communities and Cultures, will showcase exhibitions and projections exploring traditional and non-traditional ideas of families, environments, collectives, groups, traditions, and lifestyles. Communities and Cultures will pay a special homage to Asia in addition to highlighting the photographic community of Los Angeles. Most events are admission-free and all are open to the public.

MOPLA, conceived and organized by the individuals who founded The Focus on Aids Photography Auction, The Lucie Foundation, and The Lucie Awards, was established and exists to advance the celebration of photography through a variety of events and programs during the month of April. Each year, MOPLA is designed to excite and invigorate the photography professional, enthusiast, emerging professional, and collector by showcasing a global variety of talent. MOPLA invites photographers to submit bodies of work for exhibition and projection consideration, following the theme.

“Each year we are inspired and humbled by the level of interest from talented photographers around the world”, stated Hossein Farmani, Founder and Chairman of the Lucie Foundation. “As the second largest photographic community in the country, Los Angeles provides a distinctive backdrop to the celebration of the photographic image, ensuring that only the most exciting photographers are represented each year at MOPLA.”

“This year’s theme is truly a celebration and a unique look at the communities and cultures that shape our world,” remarked Cat Jimenez, Executive Director of the Lucie Foundation and Co-Founder of MOPLA. “Photography is a powerful catalyst for social and cultural exploration and we are thrilled that MOPLA is a platform to showcase the contemporary, global photographic landscape.”

In addition to exhibitions focused on Asia, MOPLA promises to debut new, original programming as well as the return of popular events from previous years. The 2014 highlights include the second installation of Instagram Jam, the sophomore effort to the wildly successful debut in 2013, Pro’jekt LA, an annual curated series of thematic projections, 20×20 powered by Pecha Kucha, where speakers show 20 images for 20 seconds each for a total of 6.67 minute presentations, hosted by The Hub, and much, much more.

See image: 2012 Lucie Awards Honoree Greg Gorman with presenter David Fahey, by Bret Harman

In celebration of the global cultural interchange, MOPLA will also present selected works from the exhibition 180 Photographs, a collaborative narrative of both Thai and American photographers juxtaposed in celebration of the 180-year Thai-U.S. friendship, which originally debuted in Bangkok, Thailand in 2013. The exhibition will be hosted by the Royal Thai Consulate-General Los Angeles during the Thai New Year Songkran Festival (April 6). For more info visit the website http://monthofphotography.com