France's international photojournalism festival founder Leroy dies
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Paris: Jean-François Leroy, the founder and legendary director of France's famed Visa pour l'Image international photojournalism festival, died at the age of 69, according to the organization and his family.
Leroy died from cancer on Monday, August 31, in Paris, surrounded by his family. His death occurred just as the 38th edition of the festival, which he founded in 1989, opened in Perpignan.
Leroy, a former photographer and photo editor, devoted over four decades promoting photojournalism and chronicling conflicts, humanitarian crises, and key world events through the festival. Visa pour l'Image has grown to become the major global gathering for press photographers, attracting over 220,000 visitors each year.
Despite his illness, Leroy, who is famous for his vocal support of press freedom and documentary photography, continued to assist with festival preparations this year. French President Emmanuel Macron paid tribute to him as a passionate journalist and a fierce defender of photojournalism and factual reporting.
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