Hiroshima 1996. From left to right: Hubert Tison, Michiru Samura (from the Hiroshima staff) and Jean-Luc Xiberras. Courtesy of Hubert Tison.

I met Jean-Luc Xiberras in 1982 during his first visit to Canada. Since then, we have communicated with each other regularly. Jean-Luc loved Canada, and above all its animation, to which, moreover, he often gave homage. Recently he spoke to me very little about his health; he was quite courageous in the face of this trial. The last time I spoke to him was in August, and he told me that everything was going well, and that he was confident. But suddenly everything took a swing for the worse. The news of the death of Jean-Luc Xiberras reached us from Anne-Marie Meneux, an astonishing news that pained me very much.

I keep very lovely memories of Jean-Luc. When he visited Canada, he always came to my home; he loved to visit friends. He told us about his work, his challenges, and his dreams. He liked to laugh a lot. He always talked about his famous radishes that he was hoping to plant someday in his garden, but he never had the time. In conversation, work always took up the entire time. He was passionate about the Annecy Festival, and he was also passionate about animation. He always wanted to do better. Thanks to a monstrous amount of work and to his tenacity, he hoisted the Annecy Festival to the top rank among large international animation events.

Jean-Luc Xiberras has left us, but not without leaving us a fine example of courage, strength and passion.

We salute you, Jean-Luc.

Hubert Tison
Producer

Hiroshima 1996. Jean-Luc Xiberras and Georges Lacroix. Courtesy of Hubert Tison.