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The international industry is digesting the sudden news that veteran French distributor and producer Samuel Hadida died following a short illness on Monday at the age of 64. Reactions have streamed in about a man who folks agree was passionate, joyful and one-of-a-kind (see tweets below).
FilmNation chief Glen Basner tells Deadline this morning, “I love Sammy and will miss him dearly. His enthusiasm and passion for all things made him larger-than-life, but it also applied to our friendship that made it more meaningful and have more depth. It was familial and what I will miss most.”
Indeed, I recall one recent Cannes Film Festival which was so plagued by rain that execs were doing deals on their phones from hotel lobbies. When I ran into Hadida in the Majestic, he told me hed just closed a film with Basner but wouldnt feel it was done until he could hug him in person.
Hadida was a pillar of the international business and an early champion of filmmakers including Quentin Tarantino, Roger Avary and Christophe Gans. Since its inception, Metropolitan FilmExport, the Paris-based distributor Hadida founded with his brother Victor and their father David, bridged a gap between France and the U.S. via long-term output deals with such companies as New Line Cinema (which included the Lord Of The Rings trilogy), Lionsgate (the Hunger Games franchise) and DreamWorks, as well as making individual offshore pick-ups and releasing local titles.
Hadidas vast producing credits include the Resident Evil and Silent Hill franchises; the Tony Scott-directed/Tarantino-scripted True Romance; Claude Lelouchs Un+Une and The Best Years (which just wrapped); The Hitmans Bodyguard; and, back in 2001, the first French superproduction made in the Hollywood vein, Brotherhood Of The Wolf, which Universal released domestically. He had several film in various stages of production at the time of his death.
Martin Moszkowicz, boss of Resident Evil producer Constantin Film, tells me today, “Samuel was one of a kind when it came to passion and love of movies and joy of life. He never quit and he never gave up. He was a movie junkie. I will miss him dearly.”
Hadida seemed infinitely tireless and his passing comes way too soon. I first met him on the first Friday of my first Cannes Film Festival in 1998. He was hosting a dinner party for New Lines Dark City which Metro was distributing in France. An infectious character, with an impish grin and twinkling eyes, he charmed his guests with a silly parlor trick that we still laughed about years later.
Hadida was a ubiquitous presence at festivals, particularly Cannes, and was inseparable from his dear brother Victor who runs the distribution side of Metro and is President of Frances National Federation of Film Distributors as well as film industry liaison body the BLIC. It was Victor who announced Samuels passing on Tuesday, saying, “Sammys passion and humor were infectious and his larger-than-life presence will certainly be missed. We are committed to honoring his life by bringing to fruition the numerous development projects under the Davis Films banner that Samuel so loved as well as the upcoming productions that were so important to him.”
Here are some reactions which Ill update throughout the day:
Samuel Hadida Dies: French Distributor And Producer Was 64 | Deadline. / I loved this man so much. He was such a connoisseur of independent cinema and always put his money where his mouth was. May he Rest In Peace among the people and movies he loved https://t.co/DhvaKt7haU
— cassian elwes (@cassianelwes) November 28, 2018
Samuel Hadida, independent distributor and producer, a very passionate man of cinema, just passed away. He produced TRUE ROMANCE or RESIDENT EVIL. He distributed our movies A MONSTER CALLS and MARROWBONE in France. I loved the conversations we had during that time. RIP. pic.twitter.com/fYPOewefeR
— JA Bayona (@FilmBayona) November 27, 2018
This is a crew photo of “Crying Freeman,” one of the first films in my career. Had the great honor to work with @dacascosmark and with legendary producer Samuel Hadida, who just passed away. This film started the careers of many Asian actors in Vancouver. RIP, Sammy. pic.twitter.com/GcTGWx48ps
— Byron Mann (@Byron_Mann) November 28, 2018
Nous sommes profondément tristes du décès soudain de Samuel Hadida, qui dirigeait notre société avec son frère Victor. Nous honorerons sa mémoire en célébrant son amour du cinéma et poursuivrons les projets qui lui tenaient tant à cœur. pic.twitter.com/TsDrtMumtg
— Metropolitan Films (@Metropolitan_Fr) November 28, 2018
C'est grâce à lui que vous avez vécu les plus belles avant-premières comme #HungerGames ou les #Expendables.
Samuel Hadida était non seulement un producteur de génie, mais également un ami intime du #GrandRex.
On pense fort à toi… R. I. P. pic.twitter.com/iZgVRyXEst
— Le Grand Rex (@LeGrandRex) November 28, 2018
Décès subit de Samuel Hadida grand (et enjoué) distributeur avec son frère Victor au sein de Metropolitan. Avait par exemple coproduit Scorsese (Hugo Cabret). Une perte pour la profession cinématographique. Condoléances à la famille.
— gilles jacob (@jajacobbi) November 27, 2018
Très triste dapprendre la disparition de Samuel Hadida, homme passionné et fou de cinéma. Pensée pour son frère Victor.
— Marc Missonnier (@marcmissonnier) November 28, 2018
Beaucoup de peine dans les équipes de @canalplus à lannonce du décès de Samuel Hadida lun des plus grands distributeurs de Cinéma en France avec son frère Victor via Metropolitan. Ils ont porté tant de films que nous avons aimés. Toutes nos pensées à sa famille et à ses proches
— Maxime Saada (@maxsaada) November 28, 2018
RIP Samuel Hadida. Ta joie de vivre, tes éclats de rire, ta générosité, ton sens de la fête et du cinéma et du cinéma dans la vie. Quelle tristesse. Tu vas me manquer et je ne suis pas la seule.
— Aure Atika (@AureAtika) November 27, 2018
A droite sur cette photo, le sourire amical et généreux de Samuel Hadida, décédé aujourdhui , à 64 ans.
A gauche , son frère , Victor, qui le pleure ce soir.
Ensemble, ils ont créé Metropolitan. En production, ont leur doit True Romance ou le Pacte des Loups. (1) pic.twitter.com/RgXaYDLl5W— Pierre Lescure (@pierrelescure) November 27, 2018
(2)Metropolitan,en distribution,cest un acteur clé des échanges entre films français et US.
La distribution,entre production et salles,cest une dynamique vitale du cinéma.Samuel son talent,son goût des projets.On laimait.On embrasse Victor.Leur https://t.co/dNqcmJTd4nès fort. pic.twitter.com/g4nB0xpeqd— Pierre Lescure (@pierrelescure) November 28, 2018
Producer Samuel Hadida passed away. I spent some time with him on a few of his sets and he was always the person the most excited to be there. Great instincts, an eye for talent and boundless enthusiasm. He will be missed. (Yes, its weird to see myself in an obit photo) https://t.co/w4GlLOiWpd
— Eric Vespe (@EricVespe) November 28, 2018
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