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A murder probe has been launched by police after a man was found dead following a horror fire at a flat in West Dunbartonshire.

EXCLUSIVE: Bardot, the upcoming TV drama about the life of actress Brigitte Bardot, is headed Stateside.

Ben Croll “Bardot” star Julia de Nunez didn’t intend to make such a splash this early. As a drama student, she was happy to hone her craft, and planned to someday try for France’s National Conservatory, if they would have her. But when she saw a casting notice for an upcoming series – and one that resonated with her in a personal way – she had to answer the call. “Of course, I knew Brigitte Bardot as an actress and singer,” de Nunez tells Variety. “And funnily enough I was often told that I resembled her. In fact, I myself noticed the resemblance as a young girl. So it was all the more amusing to read for the role. It made sense somewhere in my life.”

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Once pitted againsteach other as rivals, streamers and broadcasters have become unlikely allies in the face of increased competition and economic pressure following the pandemic and the launch of more content viewing platforms.  Even in France, where Netflix was referred to as the “devil” by France Televisions president Delphine Ernotte Cunci in a 2019 interview, the tide has turned and a number of ambitious series have been jointly financed by both local broadcasters and streamers.  Examples of collaborations vary from period drama series such as “The Bonfire of Destiny” and “Women at War,” from TF1 and Netflix, to action series like Ziad Doueiri’s “Dark Hearts,” from  France Televisions and Amazon Prime Video. What do these shows have in common? They shot in French with local casts, and have the high budgets and production values that are typically allocated to international co-productions like “Marie Antoinette,” which shot in English and was produced with French and foreign TV partners. 

A 42-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the death of a man in Renton.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent While she retired prematurely at the age of 39, Brigitte Bardot has left an indelible mark on France’s popular culture in the 1960’s and 1970’s. With her wild blonde mane, smoky eyes and pouty lips, Bardot became a symbol of a modern and effortlessly sexy French woman, and a style emblem that continues to inspire current trends. The event series “Bardot,” which is penned and directed by Daniele Thompson (“The Queen Margot”) and Christopher Thompson (“La bûche”), world premiered at Series Mania Festival to unanimous praise and has been pre-sold by Federation nearly worldwide. “‘Bardot’ is like the French ‘The Crown’ because Bardot embodied France, and through her journey we reminisce about many parts of France’s history and popular culture in the 1950’s and 1960’s,” Federation’s boss and “Bardot” producer Pascal Breton told Variety.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentAudrey Diwan’s Venice’s Golden Lion prize-winning “Happening,” has won France’s Alice Guy Award for the best female-directed French film of the year.The Alice Guy Prize, which was named in honor of the first female helmer, was created by veteran film journalist Veronique Le Bris in 2018 to highlight the work of women directors. The other four movies which were vying for the prize were Aissa Maiga’s lushly-lensed documentary feature “Marcher sur l’eau” and Catherine Corsini’s timely social drama “La fracture” which world premiered at last year’s Cannes in the official selection; as well as Aurélie Saada’s uplifting dramedy “Rose” and Charlène Favier’s “Slalom,” a coming-of-age film set in the world of competitive skiing.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentLess than two years after joining France Televisions, former Canal Plus executive Manuel Alduy has contributed to bolstering the French public broadcaster’s roster of international series with shows such as “Bardot,” a mini-series biopic of Brigitte Bardot, and “L’Insoumise” about Alice Guy, the first female filmmaker ever. Ahead of France Televisions’ press conference at Series Mania, Alduy said the broadcaster’s first-look initiative with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has yielded several prestige projects, including “Bardot.” The EBU represents 113 organizations across the 56 countries, including the BBC in the U.K., ARD in Germany, DR in Denmark, SVT in Sweden, Rai in Italy and the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation.

Well, this story took a hard turn right away.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentOther Angle has sealed a raft of deals on Christopher Thompson’s Paris-set romantic comedy “The Butcher’s Daughter.” The film is having its market premiere as part of the UniFrance’s Rendez-Vous With French Cinema event, which kicked off Wednesday.The sales company has closed deals on the film with major distributors in Germany (Telepool), Spain (A Contracorriente), Belgium (Vertigo), Switzerland (JMH Distributions) and Canada (TVA Films).The movie