Moritz de Hadeln, Pioneering Film Festival Director, Dies at 85

Swiss film veteran Moritz de Hadeln died on Saturday, 6 July 2026, at a hospital in Nyon, Switzerland, at age 85. The Hollywood Reporter said he suffered complications after a recent medical procedure. He had been a Swiss citizen since 1986 and lived in Gland, Vaud.

Hollywood Reporter

De Hadeln co-founded the Nyon International Documentary Film Festival (now Visions du Réel) in 1969 and led it until 1979. He directed Locarno (1972-1977), introducing the Piazza Grande outdoor screenings and expanding its global profile. From 1979-2001 he headed the Berlin International Film Festival, co-founding the European Film Market and relocating the Berlinale to Potsdamer Platz after the 1989 Wall collapse. In 2002-2003 he became the first non-Italian artistic director of the Venice International Film Festival, modernising its infrastructure and programming.

Hollywood Reporter

De Hadeln’s programming introduced Western audiences to emerging Chinese, Soviet and Eastern European cinema and launched directors such as Roland Emmerich, Tsai Ming-liang, Gus Van Sant, Ang Lee and Zhang Yimou. Under his 21-year Berlin tenure the festival premiered *Rain Man* (1988), *Fitzcarraldo* (1982), *In the Name of the Father* (1993), *Central Station* (1998) and *Magnolia* (2000). He received the French Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, the Italian Order of Merit, the German Order of Merit and the European Film Forum’s European Prize.

Hollywood Reporter

Christian Jungen, biographer and CEO of the Zurich Film Festival, confirmed de Hadeln’s death and said he had earned the nickname “Mr. Film Festival.” The Hollywood Reporter quoted Jungen that de Hadeln died from complications after a recent medical procedure. No additional statements from the festivals were released at the time of writing.

Hollywood Reporter

In a 2018 op-ed for *Die Weltwoche*, de Hadeln defended Harvey Weinstein, calling him “one of the few Hollywood producers who really loved the movies…The lynching he is now experiencing is simply disgusting.” The article drew widespread criticism for praising a figure later convicted of sexual assault.

Hollywood Reporter

• “I guess I can be proud for presenting the first films of Roland Emmerich, Tsai Ming-liang, Gus Van Sant, of Ang Lee or Zhang Yimou,” — Moritz de Hadeln, Variety op-ed, 2010

Variety Magazine

• “After decades of Italian auteurism, which badly aped France’s New Wave, Venice has decided to rediscover the key role played by the producer,” — Tullio Kezich, *Corriere della Sera*

Variety Magazine

• “one of the few Hollywood producers who really loved the movies…The lynching he is now experiencing is simply disgusting.” — Moritz de Hadeln, *Die Weltwoche* op-ed, 2018

Variety Magazine

• “Big names such as Gina Lollobrigida, Ang Lee and Steven Spielberg — along with a few scandals — marked the career of Moritz de Hadeln, an internationally renowned pioneer of the film festival world,” — Book description, Christian Jungen

Hollywood Reporter