Set over 24 hours in the Paris banlieues, La Haine follows four friends from immigrant backgrounds: Abdel, Vinz, Hubert and Said, as they grapple with police violence, alienation and simmering anger.

Inspired by the real-life story of 17-year-old Zairean immigrant Makome M’Bowolé, La Haine resonates with urgency and clarity, offering an unflinching look at social fracture and cyclical violence.

Stark black and white imagery conveys the rhythms of boredom and confrontation that define marginalised urban life, while the film’s theme song, Nique La Police by Cut Killer, resonates in French hip-hop culture.

The film premiered at Cannes to a standing ovation with director Mathieu Kassovitz winning Best Director.

‘Still feels like a punch to the gut — direct, angry and unresolved.’ – Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian