Founded in 2001 by documentary photographer Christophe Smets, La Boîte à Images is a visual creation organization developing projects at the crossroads of photography, documentary storytelling, and social engagement.
Driven by a constant attention to human realities and issues of dignity, La Boîte à Images follows an artistic approach that makes imagery a tool for testimony, connection, and justice. Its projects explore themes related to human rights, social fractures, neglected territories, and life stories often left in the shadows.
For more than twenty years, the association has designed and produced long-term reports, traveling exhibitions, publications, and educational initiatives grounded in real-life experiences. It collaborates with partners from cultural, educational, associative, and humanitarian sectors, both in Belgium and internationally.
Today, La Boîte à Images is broadening its scope by fully embracing multimedia storytelling and documentary filmmaking. Building on its photographic approach, it explores new formats — short films, web documentaries, sound or video installations — to tell stories differently, reach new audiences, and extend the power of its narratives. This expansion comes with a desire to collaborate with independent cinema and social documentary communities, while maintaining the close attention to fieldwork and humanity that defines its unique approach.
La Boîte à Images champions committed photography, constructed over time, based on listening, respect, and the responsibility of the gaze. It promotes forms of storytelling that reveal, explain, and connect worlds — taking the time to document what truly matters, beyond what shocks.