Meet the inspiring Canon grant winners of 2020

There are thousands of Qur'an schools in Turkey, most of them for girls, and for Sabiha this is a deeply personal project: she and her twin sister attended a Qur'an school in Istanbul, and she has gone back there to photograph today's students. "In Turkey, it's often not possible to visit these unique places," she explains. "But my teacher, who was still there after 15 years, immediately opened the doors for me. I am not photographing and passing by – I lived with the girls, studied with them and we became close friends. It's very personal – it's really my story.

"It depicts Muslim women in a very unusual and nuanced way," she adds. "I want to give women the chance to speak for themselves, to avoid misconceptions and misinterpretations."

The project has already won Sabiha second prize in the long-term projects category at the 2020 World Press Photo Contest. The next stage will involve visiting more schools across Turkey, and will possibly examine the impact of Covid-19. Qur'an schools in Turkey have been closed since February, and students are reciting pages to their teachers over video calls. "I'm planning to shoot online Zoom classes and photograph how people are sustaining this strict education during the pandemic," she says.

There has been an ongoing civil war in the CAR since 2012 and Michaël was used to documenting the experiences of the male soldiers, but he really wanted to go back to capture an alternative point of view. "This grant is a way to continue my work as a filmmaker. I want to tell the story of the women who are fighting – not against other people, but for their freedom."

Michaël wants to document how the beauty pageant works amidst all the chaos, and why the organisers want to put women in the spotlight. During two weeks in November he will follow the contest caravan from village to village to capture a reality that goes beyond the ethnic and religious conflict. "A beauty contest might appear trivial, but it's important to talk about these women," he says. "They are not only taking part in a beauty contest, they are fighting for their place in the CAR."

The Grant includes the loan of Canon video kit including two cine lenses, and Michaël is hoping to shoot on either a Canon EOS C200 or a Canon EOS C300 Mark II, with a Canon CN-E18-80mm T4.4 L IS KAS S lens.

"I'm crazy about both the EOS C200 and the EOS C300 Mark II – they are very easy to work with. For me, a video camera has to be light and it has to be easy to find all the settings with my fingers without looking," he says. "I like the Canon CN-E18-80mm T4.4 L IS KAS S lens because it brings together all the right characteristics for making documentary films: it's lightweight, fast if you want to use the autofocus (servo), and of a remarkable optical quality. It's ideal for fast shooting, and the zoom means you don't have to change lenses."

Michaël has been working in Africa for 20 years and knows the CAR well, so he is less worried about safety than he is about conveying the women in a truthful way. "For me, the logistical problems are quite easy to solve. The challenge is putting these women in the spotlight, while also respecting their worth. There will be no commentary – just the women speaking to each other about their country, their lives, their hopes and their fears."