Lana Šlezić

Lana Šlezić is a Canadian photographer and filmmaker.

Life and education Šlezić was born in Toronto, Ontario, to parents from Croatia. She grew up in Port Credit in Mississauga, Ontario. Šlezić's parents have inspired her work in many ways. Her father was an amateur photographer, and introduced Šlezić to the art, by providing her with her first camera. She then went on to receive a Diploma in Photojournalism from Loyalist College in Belleville, Ontario.

Work Photojournalism

In the past, Šlezić worked as a freelance photojournalist. She has also contributed to Canadian Magazine, The Walrus.

Šlezić is known for making very beautiful work that also has content and meaning. She aims to tell a story through her work, and feels that it is rewarding when her audience understands the meaning behind her work. Working on this story, she became fascinated with Afghanistan, but did not have freedom to explore the land. This led her to extend her trip and stay in Afghanistan for two years. Upon arriving in Afghanistan, Šlezić discovered that many women were still facing oppressive situations such as forced marriage, forced prostitution, domestic violence, lack of education, and being forced to wear a burka. Šlezić's work calls for global attention to ideas of patriarchy, freedom, and control within Afghanistan.

Forsaken: Afghan Women

Šlezić created a photo book entitled, Forsaken: Afghan Women, that was curated from thousands of photos that she took during her time in Afghanistan. Forsaken has been published in five countries. The images and text in Forsaken are emotional and powerful. To take these photos, Šlezić shot in colour and used a Nikon D100 and a Nikon D2X. She was warmly welcomed by the Afghan women she met. They enjoyed having their photos taken and being able to share their stories with other women. This thirteen-minute film is about retired CBC Radio celebrity, Andy Barrie, documenting his experience with Parkinson's disease. "The Voice" chronicles Barrie's life before and after his diagnosis, both before and after he undergoes treatment. Šlezić accounts his experience as he undergoes a new treatment called Deep Brain Stimulation. Her winning photo depicts Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan and is entitled, "Operation Kabul." In addition, Šlezić received 2nd place in the International Photo Awards in Professional Editorial Category as well as the Professional People/ Culture Category in 2006.