Inspired by cinematic classics including Mean Streets, Do the Right Thing and The Battle of Algiers, Mathieu Kassovitz's LA HAINE is arguably the most incendiary, provocative and prescient film to emerge from the '90s. Starkly shot in black and white to show a Paris not on any tourist map, the film deals with France's intolerance towards outsiders, following Vinz (Vincent Cassel, Irreversible, Ocean's 12, Mesrine: Killer Instinct), Hubert (the magnificent Hubert Koundé) and Saïd (Saïd Taghmaoui, Hideous Kinky, Three Kings), three young men trapped in the Parisian economic, ethnic and social underclass. Sensationally premiered at the 1995 Cannes Film Festival, LA HAINE saw Kassovitz rewarded with the Best Director prize and subsequently went on to win three Césars (including Best Film). Marked by its unapologetic brutality and vérité style, LA HAINE acted as a compelling wake up call to Europe.
