In 1969, together with his wife Erika, Moritz de Hadeln founded the Festival international de cinéma de Nyon, which became Visions du Réel in 1995. Serving as the Festival’s Director until 1979, he laid the foundations of an international event dedicated to documentary cinema, whose spirit continues to inspire each edition today.
After leading Visions du Réel for a decade, he continued his career as Artistic Director of the Locarno Film Festival (1972–1977), before becoming Director of the Berlinale (1979–2001), leaving a lasting mark on the history of some of the world’s most important film festivals.
Visions du Réel pays tribute to a visionary whose boldness, commitment and pioneering spirit profoundly shaped the Festival’s identity and remain woven in its mission today. Our thoughts are with his family, loved ones, and all those who had the privilege of crossing paths with him.
“We bid farewell to a true festival giant, a great creator and a defining presence in the world of cinema. At different stages of his remarkable and eventful career, he left a lasting mark on the European festival landscape. He never shied away from controversy and always demonstrated a profound love for cinema. We pay tribute to him with respect and gratitude.” Philippe Bischof, President of Visions du Réel
“Moritz de Hadeln was the epitome of a festival director, from Nyon to Berlin via Locarno; he was both visionary and adventurous. I was deeply honoured to welcome him back to ‘his’ festival on several occasions in recent years, and profoundly grateful for his kindness, which was by no means something to be taken for granted. Thank you for everything, Moritz!” Emilie Bujès, Artistic Director of Visions du Réel
1: Portrait of Moritz de Hadeln © Virginia Haggard-Leirens
2: Portrait of Moritz de Hadeln © Ronald Siemoneit/Sygma
3: Meeting of the International Association of Documentary Filmmakers at Visions du Réel, 1971: Joris Ivens, Moritz de Hadeln, Marianne Szemes and Basil Wright © DR
4: King Michael of Romania and Queen Anne with the Romanian delegation during the retrospective dedicated to Romanian documentary cinema at the Festival (1990) © DR
5: Moritz and Erika de Hadeln © DR
6: Moritz de Hadeln © KEYSTONE
7: Opening of Visions du Réel’s new offices in 1992, attended by Armand Forel, President of the Festival from 1983 to 1991, and Moritz and Erika de Hadeln (1992) © DR
8: Moritz and Erika de Hadeln (2018) © Cedric Sandoz
9: Moritz and Erika de Hadeln at the opening of Visions du Réel 2011 © DR