Bataclan massacre film drama 'will be broadcast' in the future

A French broadcaster behind a controversial film about the 2015 terror attack on the Bataclan in Paris says it will be shown at some point.

In December, France 2 said the fictional love story, That Night, would be postponed until survivors and victims' families had been consulted.

Now, a spokesman has told the BBC the film will see the light of day.

Ninety people were killed when terrorists stormed a gig played by US band Eagles of Death Metal.

The film was postponed after Claire Peltier, whose partner David was among those killed, called for the "scandalous" film to be shelved.

Her petition to block the film has been signed by more than 46,000 people. She said it was too soon for "such a painful" story.

On Tuesday, the France 2 spokesman told the BBC the film had now been finished.

Before a transmission date could be set, the station's management and production teams would have to review the film and consult again with associations representing victims of the attack.

According to Deadline, the film is understood to centre on a fictional romance between a single mother and an Afghan refugee who meet on the night of 13 November as they rescue survivors of the attacks.

Zoe Alexander, whose brother Nick was killed at the Bataclan, told the BBC she was "slightly taken aback" when she first heard about the film.

"I think it's inevitable that the story will be told or dramatised in some way," she added. "I think it's kind of important that it's told and that we don't forget what happened - the horror of the event - but it felt very soon to me.

"There's still an ongoing legal process in France, there are people in custody and I'm surprised that it was considered to go ahead before it has reached a conclusion."

US rock band The Eagles of Death Metal were performing to around 1,500 people when masked gunmen stormed the venue, firing at the band and their fans.

It was one of several co-ordinated attacks in the French capital that left 130 people dead.

Last month, France 2 said the film was still being edited, adding: "No transmission date had been fixed for the film... which has not yet been seen by the station's management."

"I think for a lot of the people who were there, the survivors who are still undergoing therapy dealing with PTSD, ownership of what happened to them is part of their recovery, regaining control over their story," said Ms Alexander - who has been instrumental in organising a series of peace concerts in memory of her late brother.

"I think if that control is taken away from them, it could be quite a traumatic event, it could be quite damaging."

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