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Jodie Foster says La Haine is the film she’s most proud of: ‘A movie I didn’t even make’

Actor was impressed by the film after seeing it at Cannes in 1995

Roisin O'Connor
Sunday 28 March 2021 16:13 BST
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La Haine trailer

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Jodie Foster has revealed she remains proud of the role she played in introducing America to French film La Haine.

Speaking to The Sunday Times, the actor discussed her latest projects and career to date, including the films she is most proud of.

When asked which of her films she would like fans to see “forever”, Foster said she believed Taxi Driver (1976)is the best film she has ever made, followed bySilence of the Lambs(1991).

However, she then said: “There’s a movie I didn’t even make, that I helped release in the US, called La Haine. It’s the one I’m the most proud of, even if I had nothing to do with how wonderful it is.”

Jodie Foster was asked about the films she is most proud of
Jodie Foster was asked about the films she is most proud of (AFP via Getty Images)

Foster had been so impressed with Mathieu Kassovitz’s portrayal of youth violence and police brutality in Paris after seeing it at the 1995 Cannes Film Festival, that she helped to arrange US distribution for the movie through her own production company, Egg Pictures.

Foster next stars in The Mauritanian opposite Benedict Cumberbatch, about the true story of Mohamedou Ould Slahi, who after 9/11 was tortured and imprisoned by the US without charge in Guantánamo for 14 years.

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Foster recently defended the film against accusations that it promotes a “white saviour” perspective of the story.

She told The Guardian last week: “It doesn’t feel like a white-saviour movie to me. And I think the filmmakers were pretty careful about that.

“This is Mohamedou’s story, told from his perspective. There are moments where we shift out of his perspective in order to, in a documentary way, give the points of view of the other characters.”

The film is released on Amazon Prime Video on 1 April.

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