Sofia Navarrete Zur is a Mexican-British creative researcher, documentary photographer, and visual anthropologist based in Mexico City. She has worked across Mexico, Guatemala, and the U.S focusing on themes of gender inequality, resilience, memory, and identity through the psychological and emotional experiences of conflict, migration, and marginalization.
Her work has received support from the Fulbright program, the National Geographic Society and The Harnisch Foundation. Sofia’s projects have been published in Marie Claire, Australian Geographic, More To Her Story, Animal Politico and Women Photograph’s 2024 Year in Pictures photo book. Her academic research has appeared in the Journal of Behavioral Sciences and Equis Justicia para las Mujeres. Her photography has been exhibited in Mexico City and the U.S. and she has recently been shortlisted for the Marilyn Stafford 2024 FotoReportage Award. In 2024, she attended the 76th Missouri Photojournalism Workshop and is a member of Women Photograph, The Authority Collective, as well as an International Women's Media Foundation (IWMF) Fellow.
Sofia is also the creator of Out of the Shadows, a multidisciplinary participatory documentary and repository of testimony at the intersection of research, participatory photography, and documentary filmmaking exploring the stories of gender-based violence and resilience of diverse women across rural and urban Mexico. This project collaborates with survivors to tell their stories through accessible multimedia formats where they act as creative agents. The documentary experience is set to debut in 2025.
Her reporting and research draw on extensive ethnographic work and consulting experience with international organizations such as UN Women, OCHA, the Center for Research and Higher Studies in Social Anthropology (CIESAS) and Equis Justicia. Sofia holds a Master’s of International Affairs with a concentration in media and culture and a Bachelor’s degree in cultural anthropology, psychology and documentary film.
Selected clients include Bloomberg Philanthropies, Australian Geographic, Marie Claire, National Geographic Society, Animal Político, FEMINIST, and More To Her Story. Additionally, she has completed Hostile Environment Awareness Training (HEAT+).