DUBAI: The story of Algerian student Malik Oussekine, who died in police custody in France in 1986, is coming to Disney+.
The streaming giant this week unveiled a slate of 10 European originals in addition to its first projects for its entertainment spinoff Star.
Among the projects is “Oussekine,” which is an ambitious four-part Star Original mini-series that will examine the true events that led to the death of the young student that caused mass protests in France.
“Oussekine” is the brainchild of director Antoine Chevrollier and was co-written by Faïza Guène, Julien Lilti and Cédric Ido.
The series will be centered on his family’s fight for justice and will explore the enormous impact this high-profile case had on French society.
It’s not the first time that Oussekine’s tragic tale has been adapted for the big screen. Classic 1995 French film “La Haine,” starring Vincent Cassel, Hubert Koundé and Saïd Taghmaoui, was largely inspired by the case of the 22-year-old student protester who died after being badly beaten by riot police after a mass demonstration in 1986, which he did not take part in.
This explosive social drama by Mathieu Kassovitz hit the Cannes Film Festival 26-years-ago to critical acclaim. Meaning “hate” in French, “La Haine,” follows 19 hours in the lives of three friends from Chanteloup-les-Vignes, a rundown housing project on the outskirts of Paris, who find a loaded gun in the aftermath of a riot.
Oussekine's death is referred to in the opening montage of the film.
