The organiser is the association Mannheim-Ludwigshafen-Heidelberg e.V. The three participating cities of Mannheim, Ludwigshafen, and Heidelberg are part of the executive committee. The Festival, which takes place every two years, is devised by internationally renowned guest curators who are nominated by a high-calibre expert committee. Cultural event organisers and sponsors from the entire metropolitan region work closely together to realise the Fotofestival.
The Fotofestival is one of the top 15 festivals of the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan region. Succeeding the Hertener Fototage, which moved from the Ruhr to the metropolitan region on the Rhine and Neckar in 2005, it has become a highly regarded international photo biennial.

The Fotofestival puts current contemporary photographic trends, plus trend-setting positions from photographic history, on the agenda by means of high-calibre exhibitions and supporting events. The chosen curators develop a general exhibition concept for presentation by international photo and video artists at all participating institutions in the three cities.

The Fotofestival is based in the South-West of Germany in the three cities Mannheim, Ludwigshafen and Heidelberg. The region’s most renowned exhibition venues take part: the Kunsthalle Mannheim, the ZEPHYR of the Reiss-Engelhorn-Museen in Mannheim, the Port25 - Raum für Gegenwartskunst, the Wilhelm-Hack-Museum and Kunstverein Ludwigshafen, Heidelberger Kunstverein along with the Prinzhorn Collection.
Fotofestival Mannheim-Ludwigshafen-Heidelberg interconnects the three cities and their art institutions and gives rise to a cross-state dialogue in which the Festival’s theme is discussed from different perspectives.
As a Fotofestival with an international outlook it is our aim to seek co-operations with institutions in European countries or further institutions in Germany: La Chambre in Strassbourg, Fotogalleriet in Oslo, the Grimmuseum in Berlin.