Moritz De Hadeln Dies: Former Berlinale Chief Was 85

Moritz de Hadeln, a pioneering industry professional who led the Berlin, Venice, and Locarno Film Festivals, has died. He was 85.

Reps close to de Hadeln’s family confirmed the news to Deadline. de Hadeln died on Saturday, July 4, at a hospital in Nyon, Switzerland. 

de Hadeln was born in Exeter, England, to a family of artists and began his career as a photographer and documentary filmmaker. His first film, Le Pèlé, was completed in 1963. In 1967, he directed his second film, Ombres et Mirages, before founding the Nyon International Documentary Film Festival in Switzerland with his wife Erika. He served as director of the event until 1979 and served as Erika’s assistant when she took over as director from 1980 to 1994.

From 1972 to 1977, de Hadeln was head of  Locarno, during which he introduced the festival’s now beloved outdoor Piazza Grande screening venue. de Hadeln went on to serve as festival director at Berlin from 1979, through the unification of Germany and into the early 2000s. 

After Berlin, de Hadeln moved to Venice, where he became the first non-Italian director of the film biennale for two editions, before moving to Canada and helping to establish the Montreal Film Festival. 

de Hadeln was awarded several national awards during his career, including the Commander in the Order of the Arts and Letters of the French Ministry of Culture (1986), Commander in the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (1988), and Officer in the Order of Merits of the Federal Republic of Germany (2000).

Christian Jungen, head of the Zurich Film Festival, published a non-fiction book about de Hadeln’s life in 2018 titled ‘Mister Filmfestival’.

In a statement on social media, the Berlinale described “de Hadeln” as a “passionate advocate for cinema” who transformed the Berlinale “into one of the leading meeting places for the global film industry.

“Our heartfelt sympathies go out to his family, friends, and colleagues. His legacy will continue to live on through the countless films, artists, and communities he inspired,” the festival’s statement ended.