Jane Birkin, British-French Actor and Singer, Dies at 76

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Amazon Prime Video France has signed a multi-year deal with leading French independent distributor Metropolitan FilmExport to bring over 100 movies to local subscribers. Metropolitan FilmExport ranks as one of France’s top purveyors of U.S. franchise films, such as “Lord of the Rings,” “Hunger Games,” and “John Wick.” As such, this deal positions Prime Video in France as a home for premium content for wide audiences.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent An edgy new voice within the world of French genre, Adrien Beau worked as a designer and scenographer for the likes of Dior, John Galliano and Agnes B before making his feature debut with the offbeat vampire movie “Vourdalak.” Produced by Judith-Lou Levy at Les Films du Bal, “Vourdalak” will world premiere at Venice Critics’ Week and will likely be one of its boldest entries. At a time when horror has become a mainstream genre overloaded with special effects, “Vourdalak” couldn’t be more radical.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent While Greta Gerwig’s girl-power blockbuster “Barbie” is ruling over the French box office, another much younger female-led franchise, “Miraculous: Ladybug & Cat Noir” has managed to pull approximately €8 million ($8.9 million) at the local B.O., from more than 1.1 million tickets, since bowing on July 5. Budgeted around $80 million and directed by Jeremy Zag, “Miraculous: Ladybug & Cat Noir” ranks as one of France’s most ambitious animated films to date. Featuring eight original songs, a queer storyline and a postcard-worthy Parisian backdrop, the musical film broke ground as the first female-powered superhero movie set in the French capital. Even as it faces stiff competition from “Barbie” and Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer,” “Miraculous: Ladybug & Cat Noir” has enough legs to match or surpass recent non-U.S. animated hits such as “Ballerina,” which sold 1.8 million tickets in France. It garnered 318,144 admissions on its opening day in theaters, a record for a French animated film. In Germany, the movie sold 586,148 tickets in three weeks and is currently the leading family title at the box office.

Jane Birkin‘s Paris home was reportedly targeted by thieves just days after her death.The singer and actress was found dead on July 16 at the age of 76, having been found by her caregiver on the first night she had spent home alone in two years in a bid to regain some independence. Birkin had been living with cancer for 16 years.Now, local media outlet BFMTV has reported that an attempted burglary took place in the early hours on Wednesday (July 19).Citing a police source, the publication claimed that shortly before 4am, a childhood friend of Birkin’s staying in the house heard noises coming from behind the door.According to the reports, police officers were called to the scene where they saw potential evidence of an attempted break-in, including markings on and damage to the door and its frame, as well as pieces of wood scattered on the ground.In addition, it was claimed that the day before the alleged incident, three individuals were seen and cautioned by neighbours for attempting to enter the house.Birkin’s family confirmed in a statement on the same day that she had died of natural causes.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent The double SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes are worrying exhibitors in France, where the box office is driven by Hollywood blockbusters. In an interview with French news channel BFM Business, Richard Patry, who presides over the National Federation of Cinemas, predicts “the strike might go on for a long time” because it’s aimed at streaming services. “Many U.S. films have already started to be delayed, and it worries us a lot for 2024,” Patry said. The dearth of U.S. releases during the pandemic hurt the French box office, which was down by about 30% in 2022. Even if French movies have a large market share domestically, U.S. blockbusters typically drive an upward trend. Case in point: the French B.O. finally recovered this year and has been up 33%, bolstered by a spike in anticipated American movies, which skyrocketed from 29 in 2022 to 51 in the first five months of 2023, according to Comscore France. 

Brigitte Bardot is recovering after first responders rushed to her home. Several French outlets reported on Wednesday that emergency services were called in that morning after the 88-year-old struggled to breathe. A spokesperson for the '60s star confirmed to Fox News Digital that the actress suffered a health scare due to a blistering heat wave in Saint-Tropez but is now recovering.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent France’s Canal+ Group has acquired a 12% stake in Viaplay, the leading Scandinavian streamer which announced earlier today that it would cut 25% of its workforce. More to come.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent French film guilds representing authors, directors and producers have released a joint letter pledging their “full solidarity” with the SAG-AFTRA and WGA double strike. “This battle that’s shaping tomorrow’s industry crosses borders. It’s also ours,” reads the letter, which was signed by the ARP (authors, directors, producers) and SRF (society of French directors), the governing body of Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight. The letter says the double strike “signals a turning point where the questions of sharing of wealth and integration of new models and AI are central.”

Emergency services were called to Brigitte Bardot’s Saint Tropez home on Wednesday after the iconic French actress and animal rights activist suffered breathing difficulties, according to French media reports.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent French actor-director Nicolas Bedos, who is facing trial in February 2024 for an alleged sexual assault under the influence of alcohol dating from June 1, is now being investigated on rape and sexual assault charges after three complaints were filed with the Paris prosecutor. News of the preliminary investigation was first reported in a bombshell investigative report published by French outlet Mediapart. The investigation cites four women, two of whom addressed a letter to the public prosecutor. The prosecutor’s spokesperson confirmed to Variety that a preliminary investigation was opened on July 5 on charges of alleged sexual assault and rape “after receiving three distinct complaints against Nicolas Bedos.”

Jane Birkin graced the front pages of most French newspapers on Monday as France mourned the death of the late British actress and singer who enjoyed icon status in the country that she had called home since the late 1960s.

British singer and actor Jane Birkin, best known for her work with Serge Gainsbourg, has died at her home in France. She was 76.Born in London in 1946, Birkin originally began her career as an actor in the UK, appearing in films such as Michelangelo Antonioni’s ‘Blowup’ in 1966.

reported in Le Parisien and BFM television that Birkin had been found dead at her home in Paris. The actress suffered a mild stroke in 2021, but her cause of death has not yet been revealed. .“Because she embodied freedom, because she sang the most beautiful words of our language, Jane Birkin was a French icon.

Peter Debruge Chief Film Critic With Jane Birkin’s passing, France loses both an icon and one of its greatest enigmas. To focus on France is not to diminish the fact that Birkin’s death will be mourned around the world. Alongside Brigitte Bardot, Françoise Hardy and Catherine Deneuve, Birkin was one of the last surviving 1960s femmes who sparked global interest in French culture. Except that Birkin wasn’t French. She was born in London and clung to her English accent all her life. Birkin was perfectly fluent, but cultivated a faux-naïf way of speaking her adopted language that reinforced her persona as the eternal child. For the French, it was all part of her singular charm, established decades earlier… and which she sometimes struggled to escape.

pic.twitter.com/aRkuxR2TcmWhile Birkin's cause of death is not yet known, according to multiple reports, the actress had been plagued with health issues in recent years, including a stroke in 2021 and a broken shoulder blade earlier this year, forcing her to cancel a handful of concerts in May.ET has reached out to Birkin's rep for comment.Born in London in December 1946, Birkin found a home in France at the age of 20, after moving to Paris to work on the movie . While on the set of the 1968 film, she met and started a relationship with the film's star, French actor and singer-songwriter Serge Gainsbourg.The pair would go on to collaborate on the actress's most well-known song, «Je T'Aime… Moi Non Plus,» which translates to «I Love You… Me Neither.» The sensual song was considered risqué for its time and was banned by the BBC and condemned by the Vatican.Birkin and Gainsbourg were together for 12 years, welcoming a daughter Charlotte, before splitting in 1981.

The world has lost a fashion icon today.

Jane Birkin, the accomplished actress and singer who inspired the Hermès handbag of the same name, has died at the age of 76.

Jane Birkin, the famed British singer and actress that transformed French culture, has died at 76 in Paris. Remembered as a style-icon, the iconic Hermès Birkin bag, introduced in 1984, was named after the artist.  The French Culture Ministry tweeted that Birkin had died on Sunday, crediting her as a "timeless Francophone icon." France's Minister of Culture, Rima Abdul Malak, shared her grief on social media, writing "Jane B was mischief, impertinent elegance, the never-outdated emblem of an entire era, a murmuring voice that remains our idol," in a tweet translated to English.

Jane Birkin has sadly passed away.

has died at 76 following health concerns that forced the musician to cancel a series of concerts in May, per a report from .The British icon—who spent the majority of her time in France and had a major influence on French style and culture—rose to fame as an actor, starring in films such as La Piscine (1969) and Death on the Nile (1978), earning three Cèsar Award nominations throughout her decades-long film career. Birkin was also known for pushing boundaries, with her breathy vocals on Serge Gainsbourg's hit 1969 duet “Je T’Aime … Moi Non Plus” causing enough controversy that the song was banned from the radio in multiple countries and denounced by the Vatican. “We never thought for a moment that the song would become such a symbol of freedom—all over the world,” Birkin told in 2018.