We made it known that we were trying to show the reality of France. People think of Paris as the city of love or the city of light, but where you got love you got hate, where you got light you got darkness.

Sarkozy stirred controversy and outrage when he said the rioters were "scum" and should be "cleansed" from the banlieues (suburbs) with a "fire hose". Actor
Kassovitz is most famous outside France for his acting role as Nino Quincampoix in Jean-Pierre Jeunet's film Amélie.

Mathieu Kassovitz (born 3 August 1967) is a French director screenwriter producer editor and actor. Kassovitz is also the founder of MNP Entreprise a film production company.