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Jean-François Leroy, the soul of Visa pour l'Image, dies
The founder of the great Perpignan photojournalism festival dies at the age of 69, a victim of cancer, coinciding with the start of the 38th edition.
Jean-François Leroy, journalist and photographer and key figure in international photojournalism, has died at the age of 69 from cancer. His death coincides with the start of the 38th edition of Visa pour l'Image, the festival he founded in 1989 and which, under his direction, turned Perpignan into an essential event for documentary photography.
Leroy launched the festival with the support of Roger Thérond, then director of Paris Match , and Michel Decron, after the Perpignan City Council called for a project to create a major cultural event in the city. Leroy's proposal was chosen and gave rise to a festival that, almost four decades later, remains one of the great international showcases of photojournalism.
Since its inception, Visa pour l'Image has opted for a formula that has remained practically intact: free exhibitions spread across different emblematic spaces in Perpignan, meetings with photographers, awards for the best works and great nightly screenings.
Among the most symbolic spaces is the Campo Santo, the old medieval cemetery located next to the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist, which during the festival becomes the setting for screenings that review some of the major events of world news.
The 38th edition, which has just begun , maintains Leroy's legacy with more than 25 exhibitions, more than a hundred reports and six nights of screenings at Campo Santo. A program that this year takes on a particularly emotional dimension given the absence of its founder.
For decades, Leroy defended photojournalism as an essential tool for explaining and understanding the world. Wars, conflicts, humanitarian crises, social transformations and major political events have passed through the festival's exhibitions and screenings, turning Perpignan into a meeting point for photographers, journalists and the public.
With Visa pour l'Image, Leroy not only created a festival, but also built an international platform to claim the value of documentary photography and give visibility to professionals working in the field.
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