In 1993 in a Parisian police station, the handcuffed Makomé M’Bowole, a 17-year-old Zairian immigrant, was shot dead by the police officer who was questioning him. Riots all over France ensued. This real-life incident sparked the cinematic Molotov cocktail that is La Haine two years later. It was a scathing indictment of French society and its racial police brutality.

Written and directed by the then just 27-year-old Matthieu Kassovitz, the film turns 30 this year. It’s a mix of European and American sensibilities, from its subject matter to the presentation. A perfect hybrid film of “kitchen-sink drama”, Bildungsroman, social thriller perfected with hints of surrealism. All filtered through an exquisite and unflinching cinematic eye.

• Imbd: 8.1
• Director: Mathieu Kassovitz
• Cast: Vincent Cassel, Hubert Koundé en Saïd Taghmaoui
• Duration: 98 min
• Language: French
• Subtitles: English

View the complete Internationals Cinema Breda program here.