A significant power outage disrupted the final day of the Cannes Film Festival, impacting roughly 160,000 homes in Cannes and its surrounding areas. Officials believe that the incident, suspected to be sabotage, was initiated by arsonists who set a substation ablaze in Tanneron during the early morning hours. The outage, which began Saturday morning, worsened when the legs of a nearby electricity pylon in Villeneuve-Loubet were deliberately cut, leading to further power losses.
Despite the setbacks, festival organizers assured that the closing ceremony would proceed as scheduled due to alternative power arrangements. On the ground, however, local businesses faced struggles; restaurants and shops were forced to close or operate under extreme conditions. Laurent Aboukrat, a restaurant owner, lamented the fate of his stocked inventory, stressing, "Another hour and I'll throw everything away," as his refrigerators lost power.
Film industry professionals also voiced their frustrations. Australian producer Darren Vukasinovic commented, "Cannes is in a total slowdown, meltdown, there's no coffee anywhere, and I think the town has run out of croissants, so this is like crisis territory." The chaos impacted several screenings earlier in the day, but diligent festival organizers quickly transitioned to private generators to salvage events. As the festival reached its climax, French actress Juliette Binoche and her jury prepared to announce the prestigious Palme d'Or winner, undeterred by the earlier disruptions.
