12/06/2003

Just three weeks after the presentation of his film Saltimbank at the Quinzaine des Réalisateurs in Cannes, the director, Jean-Claude Biette, has died in Paris at the age of 60. He actually died two days ago but the news has only just been released today by the daily paper, Libération.
He was an occasional contributor to Cahiers du Cinéma from 1964 to 1986 and the author of Cinémanuel, and Jean-Claude Biette also founded the magazine Trafic, together with Serge Daney.
As well as working as a critic, he was also a filmmaker. During his career he made a total of 8 feature length films: Biette started in 1973 with Le théâtre des matières. His last film, Saltimbank, was produced and distributed by Gemini Films and Paolo Branco, who said he had lost "a great friend and a great filmmaker".

(Translated from French)