Ignore the Power Outage: Cannes Closing Ceremony Set to Tackle Challenges and Shine Bright!

The Cannes Film Festival is set to hold its closing ceremony as planned, despite facing a power outage that has affected much of Cannes and the surrounding Alpes-Maritimes region. The festival confirmed that the Palais des Festivals switched to an independent power supply, allowing all major events to continue normally.

While the closing ceremony is on schedule for 6:40 PM local time, other parts of the festival, such as screenings at the Cineum, have been halted until power is restored.

Local reports suggest potential foul play related to this incident, as a fire at an electricity station was followed by downed pylons around nearby towns. Investigations are ongoing, with authorities noting that the pylons seem to have been deliberately cut.

Earlier today at 10 AM local time, a widespread blackout left many shops and restaurants in the dark, forcing them to only accept cash. Traffic lights were down, causing significant traffic delays, and internet services were intermittently disrupted, impacting popular apps like WhatsApp.

Interestingly, about 160,000 households were affected by this power failure, a situation that echoes a recent massive blackout in Spain and Portugal, which highlighted vulnerabilities in power infrastructure.

Despite the blackout, the festival’s press conferences, like the one for Kelly Reichardt’s Mastermind, went off without a hitch. The atmosphere seemed tense, as many shops remained dark and only cash transactions were possible.

This year’s closing ceremony will also feature predictions for awards, including Joaquim Trier’s Sentimental Value and Jafar Panahi’s It Was Just An Accident.

As we reflect on this incident, it underscores the fragility of infrastructure in high-profile events. The Cannes Film Festival continues to shine a light on cinema, even when the lights go out.

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