Power Outage Disrupts Final Day of Cannes Film Festival

A massive power outage in Cannes caused chaos on the final day of the international film festival, but organizers ensured the closing ceremony proceeded as planned.

In a dramatic turn of events, a power outage in Cannes, located in south-eastern France, hampered the final day of the renowned Cannes Film Festival on Saturday. The outage affected around 160,000 homes in the area, including Cannes and its neighboring municipalities, as reported by France's electricity operator RTE.

Authorities are examining the possibility that the disruption stemmed from an arson attack on a power substation. "We are exploring the circumstances of a fire that may have been set intentionally," a spokesperson for the gendarmerie commented. Despite this setback, festival organizers confirmed that the closing ceremony, during which the prestigious Palme d'Or award is presented, would continue as scheduled, utilizing an alternative power supply.

Local businesses felt the strain during the outage, with shops and restaurants struggling to carry on their regular operations. "Another hour and I'll have to throw everything away," lamented Laurent Aboukrat, the owner of Jamin restaurant, while expressing concerns over his food supplies. "Cannes is at a standstill, there's no coffee anywhere, and we're running low on croissants, so this feels like a crisis," added Australian producer Darren Vukasinovic to Reuters.

After restoring power by 15:00 local time (11:00 GMT), local residents and businesses were relieved as the festival's final events were able to proceed without further inconvenience. The incident has raised concerns, but for most, the show must go on during this iconic celebration of cinema.