French producer-distributor Samuel Hadida died unexpectedly on Nov. 26 at UCLA Santa Monica Hospital following a short illness, according to his brother Victor Hadida. He was 64.
For more than three decades, the Hadida brothers have owned and managed Metropolitan FilmExport, a leading French distributor of American indie fare they had founded with their father David.
Samuel Hadida was known for his collaborations with director Tony Scott on “True Romance” and “Domino,” his collaboration with Constantin Film on the “Resident Evil” franchise, his work on the “Silent Hill” movies and with Claude Lelouch on “Un+Une” and “The Best Years,” the upcoming sequel to “A Man and a Woman.”
Samuel Hadida was also fixture on the international film scene at film markets and festivals.
Victor Hadida said, “Sammy’s 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.”
Metropolitan has had long term output arrangements over the years with New Line Cinema (including the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy), Lionsgate (including the “Hunger Games” films) and DreamWorks. Metropolitan also distributes films from producers throughout the industry.
In addition to his brother, Samuel Hadida is survived by his wife, Maryse Claire, children, Laurent, Audrey and Aurelie and one grandchild, Sasha. Funeral arrangements are pending.