Update on the Cannes Film Festival
The city of Cannes suffered a total power outage on Saturday, May 24th, just hours before the award ceremony of the Film Festival. The power supply was cut off at 10 a.m., affecting the entire city, including the screening rooms. Several festival visitors reported that screenings were stopped mid-way due to the outage.
Cause of the Power Failure
The cause of the failure has not yet been identified, but restoration efforts are underway. The regional arm of the French broadcaster France3 reported the failure on social media, with a video of a parking lot without electricity. The outage also affected the city of Antibes, 10 km away.
Impact on the Festival
The final and award ceremony of the Film Festival is scheduled to take place this evening in the Palais des Festivals from 6:40 p.m. The competitive jury, led by Juliette Binoche, will distribute awards such as the Palme d’Or, Grand Prix, and Jury Prize. Despite the power outage, the Palais des Festivals has switched to an independent power supply, ensuring that all planned events and screenings can take place as scheduled.
Alternative Arrangements
However, the screenings in the cineum were temporarily suspended and will resume once the power supply is restored. The participants of the festival reported that Wi-Fi and escalators were operational in the Palais. Nevertheless, the power outage affected several large hotels along the Croisette, including the Majestic and Gray d’Albion, where guests were preparing for the evening’s ceremony.
Previous Incidents
This is not the first incident to affect the Cannes Film Festival this year. Last Saturday, a palm tree fell on the Croisette, injuring a Japanese producer. The power outage also comes four weeks after a mass power outage on the neighboring Iberian Peninsula, which caused significant problems, including disruptions to transport and hospitals in Spain and Portugal.
Latest Update
As of 12:15 p.m. CEST, the situation is being closely monitored, and the festival organizers are working to ensure a smooth conclusion to the event. The screening of "The Mastermind" starring Josh O’Connor continued as usual, despite the power outage. The city of Cannes and the festival organizers have been contacted for comment, and further updates will be provided as more information becomes available.
