The Cannes Film Festival was briefly brought to a halt following a major power outage that has struck south-eastern France which police believe was caused by ‘sabotage’.
About 160,000 households in the Alpes-Maritimes department lost electricity after a high-voltage line fell on Saturday morning, electricity network operator RTE said on X.
Disruption was also caused to traffic light systems, train services and retail outlets in the French Riviera city, as the film festival prepared for its glittering closing ceremony tonight where the top prize, the Palme d’Or, will be awarded to the best film.
The outage came hours after a fire at an electrical substation in Tanneron, Van, near Cannes overnight had already weakened the grid.
Police have opened an investigation into possible arson.
‘We are looking into the likelihood of a fire being started deliberately,’ said a spokesperson for the French national gendarmerie.
Laurent Hottiaux, the prefect of the Alpes-Maritimes department, condemned ‘serious acts of damage to electrical infrastructures’.
‘All resources are mobilised to identify, track down, arrest and bring to justice the perpetrators of these acts,’ said Mr Hottiaux.
A major power outage has struck south-eastern France which police believe was caused by an act of ‘sabotage’
Cannes Film Festival organisers confirmed the outage affected the early activities of Saturday
A journalist works on his laptop following the power outage today, that also brought disruption to the Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival organisers confirmed the outage affected the early activities of Saturday and said the Palais des Festivals, the Croisette’s main venue, had switched to an independent power supply.
‘All scheduled events and screenings, including the Closing Ceremony, will proceed as planned and under normal conditions,’ the statement said.
‘At this stage, the cause of the outage has not yet been identified. Restoration efforts are under way.’
Screenings at the Cineum, one of the festival’s satellite venues, were briefly suspended, the festival added.
Other festival activities, including press conferences for the Dardenne brothers’ Young Mothers and Martin Bourboulon’s war drama, 13 Days, 13 Nights, went ahead as planned, according to Deadline.
Aubrey Plaza and Margaret Qualley pose during a photocall for Honey Don’t! on Saturday as the Cannes Film Festival grappled with the aftermath of a severe power outage
A barber gives a haircut to a customer outside a shop after a power outage in Cannes
About 160,000 households in the Alpes-Maritimes department lost electricity after a high-voltage line fell on Saturday morning
The power outage caused traffic lights throughout Cannes to turn dark, causing road chaos
Police officers were forced to keep traffic in order after a power outage caused chaos
Traffic lights in parts of Cannes and the surrounding city of Antibes stopped working after 10am, leading to traffic jams and confusion in city centres.
Most shops along the Croisette remained closed, and local food kiosks were only accepting cash. Train services in Cannes were also disrupted.
Authorities said restoration efforts are ongoing and urged residents to remain cautious during travel.
