Mathieu Kassovitz French director, screenwriter, producer and actor Date of Birth: 03.08.1967 Country: France

1. Biography of Mathieu Kassovitz
2. Early Life and Family
3. Success with "La Haine"
4. Later Career and Projects
5. Acting Career and Personal Beliefs

Biography of Mathieu Kassovitz

Mathieu Kassovitz, born on August 3, 1967, is a French director, screenwriter, producer, and actor. He is most well-known for his film "La Haine" (Hate), which won the prize at the Cannes Film Festival. He is also the founder of the film company "MNP Enterprise".

Early Life and Family

Kassovitz was born in Paris, in a family of film director Chantal Rémy and screenwriter and director Peter Kassovitz. His mother is French and a devout Catholic, while his father is of Hungarian Jewish descent, having left his native country during the 1956 revolution.

Kassovitz was married to French actress Julie Mado for some time and they worked together on his 1993 film "Métisse" (Mixed Blood). They also had a daughter named Carmen. Mado is currently working as a costume designer for films.

Success with "La Haine"

Kassovitz's success as a filmmaker is mainly based on his 1995 film "La Haine". The film was highly relevant and sparked controversy as it addressed the complex issue of interracial conflicts. "La Haine" won the César Award for Best Film and earned Kassovitz the Best Director award at the Cannes Film Festival. He was often compared to Spike Lee, while "La Haine" was compared to "Do the Right Thing".

Later Career and Projects

Kassovitz's subsequent projects included the successful detective thriller "Les Rivières Pourpres" (The Crimson Rivers) in 2000. However, his 2003 film "Gothika" with Halle Berry and Penélope Cruz was considered a disappointment by many, although it still earned double its budget.

With the earnings from "Gothika", Kassovitz worked on the project "Babylon A.D." In 2000, he founded the company "MNP Enterprise" to promote and distribute his films worldwide. "Babylon A.D." was first shown at the Cannes Film Festival in 2008.

Currently, "MNP Enterprise" is working on the films "Rebellion" and "Dust Motion", with Kassovitz collaborating with young director K-Michel Parandi on the latter. "Rebellion" tells the story of French commandos facing indigenous tribes in New Caledonia. The film is based on real events and Kassovitz serves as both the director and lead actor.

Acting Career and Personal Beliefs

As an actor, Kassovitz is best known internationally for his role as Nino Quincampoix in Jean-Pierre Jeunet's film "Amélie". He has also played various other roles, but is most remembered by the wider audience as the explosives expert in Steven Spielberg's "Munich". Kassovitz has stated that he took on acting roles to better understand the inner workings of filmmaking.

Outside of his career, Kassovitz has openly expressed his disbelief in the official version of the events of September 9, 2001, and strongly suspects that the collapse of the Twin Towers was orchestrated by the US government rather than Osama bin Laden.