Celebrating the visual stories of marginalised communities
- Text by HUCK HQ
- Photography by Curtis Essel/ 33 Bound (main image)

In the opening sequence of Lift Like A Girl, a woman stands over a barbell loaded with weight plates. After taking a moment to gather composure, she bends and steadies herself, before clasping her hands firmly around the bar and lifting it up onto her shoulders and over her head in one seamless movement.
The film, directed by Egyptian filmmaker Mayye Zayed, is one of four projects awarded the Getty Images ARRAY Grant, an initiative with the aim of elevating the visual narrative of underrepresented ethnic communities.
Launched in May this year as a collaboration between Getty and ARRAY Alliance – a creative collective founded by filmmaker Ava DuVernay – the grant awards each winning submission a prize of $5,000.

Photo Credit: Miora Rajaonary
“At Getty Images we believe it is our responsibility support and enable photographers, filmmakers and content creators that are pushing the industry forward, and are especially proud to award these grants to four creatives who are challenging the visual norm and evoking new conversations,” said Andy Saunders, Senior Vice President, Creative Content.
“The creative talent, powerful storytelling and overall quality of work received through this process has been second to none.”
Fellow winners include AGYA, a film – directed by visual artist Curtis Essel – that explores the concept of fatherhood, as well as Lamba and Church of Broken Pieces, documentary photo projects courtesy of Miora Rajaonary and Shawn Theodore respectively.

Fight Like a Girl film stills: Mohamad El-Hadidi/ Rufys Films
“There are underrepresented images of considerable beauty made within communities of color. Our creative collective was founded on the premise that the visions and voices of marginalized artists must be amplified,” said Mercedes Cooper, ARRAY’s Director of Marketing.
“This grant collaboration with Getty has not only fostered the discovery of talent across gender, ethnicity, religion, subject and culture, but also supported ARRAY’s continued celebration of visual work from creators around the world that reflects authentic and artful storytelling.”

Photo Credit: Shawn Theodore

Photo Credit: Miora Rajaonary

Agya: Curtis Essel/ 33 Bound

Photo Credit: Shawn Theodore

Fight Like a Girl film stills: Mohamad El-Hadidi/ Rufys Films

Agya: Curtis Essel/ 33 Bound
Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
Latest on Huck

Maryam El Gardoum is breaking new shores for Morocco’s indigenous surfers
The Amazigh Atlantic — Through her groundbreaking career and popular surf school, the five-time Moroccan champion is helping women find their places in the waves.
Written by: Sam Haddad

Youth violence’s rise is deeply concerning, but mass hysteria doesn’t help
Safe — On Knife Crime Awareness Week, writer, podcaster and youth worker Ciaran Thapar reflects on the presence of violent content online, growing awareness about the need for action, and the two decades since Saul Dibb’s Bullet Boy.
Written by: Ciaran Thapar

Volcom teams up with Bob Mollema for the latest in its Featured Artist Series
True to This — The boardsports lifestyle brand will host an art show in Biarritz to celebrate the Dutch illustrators’ second capsule collection.
Written by: Huck

A visual trip through 100 years of New York’s LGBTQ+ spaces
Queer Happened Here — A new book from historian and writer Marc Zinaman maps scores of Manhattan’s queer venues and informal meeting places, documenting the city’s long LGBTQ+ history in the process.
Written by: Isaac Muk

Nostalgic photos of everyday life in ’70s San Francisco
A Fearless Eye — Having moved to the Bay Area in 1969, Barbara Ramos spent days wandering its streets, photographing its landscape and characters. In the process she captured a city in flux, as its burgeoning countercultural youth movement crossed with longtime residents.
Written by: Miss Rosen

Tony Njoku: ‘I wanted to see Black artists living my dream’
What Made Me — In this series, we ask artists and rebels about the forces and experiences that shaped who they are. Today, it’s avant-garde electronic and classical music hybridist Tony Njoku.
Written by: Tony Njoku