For 2009, the festival presents various exhibitions based on the theme of Engaging Asia. Each of these exhibitions reflects how photographers have engaged with the concept of Asia, not merely as a geographical entity but also in terms of identity, culture, politics as well as social issues. Asia is not the monolithic bloc that it is sometimes made out to be. Asia, in its sheer diversity, is a heterogeneous intersection of identities, cultures and politics. Photographers from the west and the east have often attempted to capture the many facets that make up Asia, often creating a photographic discourse on the diversity that is Asia. The Festival exhibitions reflect these multiple discourses about Asia.