Cannes Film Festival Faces Unprecedented Power Outage

A significant power cut on Saturday affected approximately 160,000 homes in Cannes and the surrounding area, prompting an investigation into the incident's cause while organizers secured alternative energy sources for the festival.

The Cannes Film Festival faced an unexpected disruption on its final day as a major power outage swept through the city and neighboring areas of the French Riviera. According to France's electricity operator RTE, around 160,000 homes were left without power on Saturday, severely interrupting festival screenings. Authorities are currently investigating a possible arson incident at a power substation as the leading cause of the blackout.

Despite the challenges, festival organizers assured attendees that the closing ceremony would proceed as scheduled by utilizing alternative power supplies. Local businesses, however, struggled to cope during the outage, which left many restaurants and shops operating in precarious conditions. Laurent Aboukrat, owner of Cannes' Jamin restaurant, expressed his frustration, stating that his refrigerators had been without power since the morning. "Cannes is in a total slowdown, meltdown; there’s no coffee anywhere, and I think the town has run out of croissants,” lamented Australian producer Darren Vukasinovic.

Power was restored in the affected areas by 15:00 local time (11:00 GMT), but the disruptions had already taken a toll. As the festival prepared for its grand finale, French actress Juliette Binoche and her jury were poised to announce the coveted Palme d'Or winner—a fitting conclusion to the prestigious film event now marked by an unexpected challenge.