Yto Barrada was born in Paris in 1971 and educated in Tangier. She later studied history and political science at the Sorbonne, Paris and photography at the International Centre of Photography, New York. Her recent exhibitions of photography and video include Witte de With (Rotterdam), Fundacio Tapies (Barcelona), the MoMA (New York), Jeu de Paume (Paris), and the 2007 Venice Biennale. In 2006, Barrada was awarded the first Ellen Auerbach Award in Berlin and was shortlisted for the Deutsche Boerse Photography Prize. Her book, "A Life Full of Holes - The Strait Project," was published by Autograph ABP in 2005. She is the artistic director and co-founder of the Cinematheque de Tanger.