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Kassovitz’s “La Haine” on the box office podium: success for the 4K restoration 30 years after its release

Minerva Pictures and Rarovideo, in collaboration with Cat People Distribuzione, bring Mathieu Kassovitz‘s La Haine back to the big screen in a restored 4K version, 30 years after its original release. The film, starring Vincent Cassel, Hubert Koundé, and Saïd Taghmaoui, and winner of the Best Director award at the Cannes Film Festival in 1995, quickly reached the box office podium. Released in theaters on Monday, May 13, the restoration took third, second, and again third place in the following days at the Italian box office.

The film’s restoration was also enthusiastically received during the special previews held on Thursday, May 2, and Friday, May 3, at Cinema Troisi in Rome. The three dedicated screenings, which featured director Mathieu Kassovitz and the musical group Colle der Fomento, sold out within hours of the tickets going on sale.

The film’s run will continue through the end of May, reaching a total of over 205 theaters across Italy.

The film tells the story of the suburbs of large cities for the first time, focusing on twenty-four hours in the lives of three protagonists with seemingly irreconcilable characters, who must react to the challenges of a complex and suffocating social context, still relevant 30 years later. From the beginning, La Haine established itself as a true intergenerational cult classic, becoming one of the fundamental titles in contemporary hip hop imagery, including in Italy.

This year, Rarovideo, the editorial division of Minerva Pictures, which has been digitally present for years with Rarovideo Channel on Prime Video and The Film Club, celebrates its 25th anniversary. The restoration of La Haine is just the first of many initiatives that will accompany this significant milestone.

The film covers twenty-four hours in the lives of Vinz (Vincent Cassel), Hubert (Hubert Koundé), and Saïd (Saïd Taghmaoui), three friends from the Parisian banlieue following clashes between law enforcement and civilians, after which a local boy, Abdel, is left in critical condition due to violent police abuses. The three, filled with rage and holding a gun, contemplate how to seek justice.