"When a young Arab named Makome died in Paris, the victim of police brutality, I
asked myself, 'How does one get into this vicious circle of hatred where the young
insult the cops who insult the young,'" recalls writer/director Mathieu Kassovitz.

"You can be sure that there's a bad ending each time," he continues, "but since it's the
cops who are armed, they're the ones liable to push things too far."

One of the brightest stars to emerge in French cinema this decade, Kassovitz has, at
the age of twenty-eight, already made his mark as both a writer/director of such films
as "Assassins" and "Café au Lait," as well as an actor in those two films, and "Fierrot
le Pou," "Regarde les Hommes Tomber" and "Un Héros Tr's Discret," among others.

"I wanted to make a provocative film," Kassovitz says of HATE which, he continues,
"is definitely a statement against the cops. I clearly wanted people to see it that way,
even if I show some good guys among the cops and some dirty bastards among the
youth."

VINCENT CASSEL, who plays Vinz, met Kassovitz seven years ago during the
"Royal Himalayan Mountain Bike Passion Raid." The actor muses, "Mathieu and I
have the same bike and the same passion for Tibet." They also share a passion for the
experience of having worked together during the filming of HATE. "It was my first
time working with Mathieu and my relationship with him, as well as my relationship
with (co-stars) Said and Hubert, was close, warm, intense and enriching. It was an
unforgettable experience."

For SAID TAGHMAOUI, who plays Said in the film, it was the camaraderie during
production that resonates. "This movie is a result of teamwork," the actor says. "It's
important to work in perfect harmony with the director in order to understand what he
expects from you."

"You fall in love with someone when you work with him and like what he does,"
Taghmaoui continues, "and that's how I feel about Mathieu and this movie HATE.
Even today, I still feel affected by the whole thing."

HUBERT KOUNDE, who plays Hubert in the film, met Kassovitz during the casting
of the director's first film, "Metisse (Café au Lait)." He explains that, while there are
certain similarities between himself and his character, "Even though the character is
named 'Hubert,' he isn't me. In spite of what you may think, this is not a custom-made
part."

Kounde's performance, however, could well be described as custom-made. As one of
the film's three main characters, Hubert is a boxer who is trying to make his way out
of the hood.

"Out of the three," Kounde notes, "he's the one with the highest moral sense. He's also
the most introverted and the least communicative of the three. In a sense, Vinz, Hubert
and Said are different parts of the same person. If you put their personalities together,
you have one extraordinary guy."

The experience of filming in the "cite" (the French term for what Americans refer to
as the "hood") was powerful for the entire cast and crew.