January 1997 saw the passing of filmmaker Renzo Kinoshita and curator
Louise Beaudet. Annecy Festival Director Jean-Luc Xiberras died a
year ago. Although they worked in very different areas, the three of
them shared a passion for animation, and dedicated their lives to
helping the animation community define itself.
Renzo Kinoshita was an accomplished filmmaker -- his major work,
"Made in Japan" won the Grand Prix at the New York International
Animation Festival in 1972 -- but he is perhaps most widely thought
of as being synonymous with ASIFA (The International Animated Film
Association). He helped found and nurture ASIFA-Japan, and, in 1985,
the first Hiroshima Animation Festival was held as a result of years
of tireless work by himself and his wife Sayoko. As such, he became a
vital cog in Japan's animation culture.
While not being animators, Louise Beaudet and Jean-Luc Xiberras
devoted their lives to promoting independent animation, the former by
ensuring that many films would be able to be seen by future
generations through her efforts as an archivist, and the latter by
helping films gain access to screens around the world
Louise Beaudet was known for her work at the Cinemathèque Quebecoise
in Montreal, perhaps one of the only archives where animation is
considered a top priority. She worked at the Cinémathèque Québecoise
for 28 years. In her role as curator of the Cinémathèque, she more
than helped fulfill that organization's special interest in
animation. Louise Beaudet started the Canadian chapter of the
International Animated Film Association (ASIFA-Canada) for which she
served as president for more than 10 years. In September, 1996,
ASIFA-Canada presented her with the honorary Norman McLaren Heritage
Award at the Ottawa International Animation Festival.
Jean-Luc Xiberras started his career in the 1960s as an organizer and
director of various cultural associations. He started as director of
the Annecy Festival in 1982 helping make the biannual gathering the
largest animation festival in the world. His constant preoccupation
was to further an art form which is a long way from rivaling in
popularity live-action feature films. In two decades, he created the
world's largest and most prestigious festival, building on each
year's success with only a small staff and his dedication to and
belief in the cause. His last victory was to establish the yearly
status of the Annecy festival in 1998.
Tributes to Louise Beaudet and Renzo Kinoshita were published in the
February '97 issue of Animation World Magazine:
- "Renzo
Kinoshita: A Talk With Miyasan Sadao Miyamoto," by Harvey Deneroff
- "Louise
Beaudet: A Passion For Animation"
Animation World Magazine published a tribute/obituary to Jean-Luc
Xiberras in our February
1999 issue, where an international selection
of friends, colleagues and animators gave their final thoughts on a
man whose presence in animation will long linger. Available in French
and English.
