Sabotage suspected as power cut hits Cannes Film Festival

The Cannes Film Festival is one of the most prestigious film festivals in the world, held annually in the stunning city of Cannes, France. This year, however, the festival faced an unexpected challenge on its final day due to a power cut that is suspected to have been caused by sabotage. Early on Saturday morning, approximately 160,000 homes in Cannes and the surrounding areas experienced a loss of electricity, which created significant disruptions for festival attendees and local businesses. Fortunately, power was restored in the afternoon, but the damage had already been done. Authorities reported that an electricity substation, a crucial facility for power distribution, had been set ablaze, and a nearby pylon, which supports power lines, was also damaged. Despite these setbacks, the festival organizers assured everyone that the closing ceremony would proceed as planned, thanks to an alternative power supply they had arranged. The initial power cut occurred when arsonists targeted the substation located in the village of Tanneron, which is responsible for supplying electricity to Cannes. Shortly after, around 10:00 AM, a second outage was triggered when the legs of an electricity pylon near Villeneuve-Loubet were deliberately cut. This series of events left many shops and restaurants in Cannes struggling to operate. Laurent Aboukrat, the owner of a local restaurant called Jamin, expressed his frustration, stating, 'Another hour and I'll throw everything away. ' His refrigerators had been without power since the morning, putting his food at risk. The impact of the power cut was felt throughout the city, with several ice cream shops forced to close their doors. One such shop, Village Glacier, had its name displayed prominently in bold red letters. Outside, a woman dressed in white sat on a blue chair, looking disappointed as she could not enjoy her favorite treat. Australian producer Darren Vukasinovic described the situation in Cannes as a 'total slowdown' and noted that there was a lack of coffee and croissants, which are popular items in the area. He remarked, 'This is like crisis territory,' highlighting the severity of the situation. Many film screenings were interrupted due to the power outage in the morning, but festival organizers quickly switched to private generators to keep the event running. Saturday marked the final day of the festival, and excitement was building as French actress Juliette Binoche and her jury prepared to announce the winner of the Palme d'Or, the festival's highest honor. Despite the challenges posed by the power cut, the festival continued, showcasing the resilience of the organizers and the spirit of the film community.