Cannes hit by power cut as film festival draws to a close

The Cannes film festival drew to a close on Saturday, promising to overcome a major power cut in order to hand out its prizes at a VIP-studded ceremony later.

A wry Iranian film about political prisoners and a Ukrainian-directed drama about despotism are among the frontrunners after almost a fortnight of red carpets and politically charged statements.

French actor Juliette Binoche and her jury will announce the winner from the 22 films competing for the Palme d'Or for best film.
The best-reviewed contenders include Iranian director Jafar Panahi's "It Was Just an Accident" and Ukrainian director Sergei Loznitsa's study of tyranny in "Two Prosecutors", according to analysis from Screen magazine.

Traffic lights are switched off during an electricity outage in Cannes. AP

But cinema bible Variety predicted a triumph for Norwegian director Joachim Trier's "Sentimental Value", a moving tale about a quietly fractured family starring Elle Fanning.

It got an extraordinary 19-minute standing ovation after its premiere on Thursday.

A staff member of the Festival Beach informs customers following a major electricity outage, during the 78th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, on Saturday. Reuters

Rumours buzzed around the Riviera resort on Saturday morning about the likely winners, but the traffic did not.
Traffic lights were knocked out by the power cut, causing major snarls, while the electricity supply was briefly cut at the film festival headquarters.

A lone man sits at empty restaurant terrasse as a power outage struck Southwestern France. AFP

Organisers said they had switched to an alternative supply, "which enables us to maintain the events and screenings planned for today in normal conditions, including the closing ceremony."

The cause of the outage has not been announced, but police sources told AFP it was caused by a fire, probably an arson attack, on a nearby electricity substation.

Politics

Amid the red carpets and parties, this year's Cannes Festival has been politically charged, with the wars in Ukraine and Gaza as well as US President Donald Trump major talking-points.

Pedestrians walk past the Cannes train station as a power outage struck Southwestern France, on the final day of the 78th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, on Saturday. Reuters

The Gaza war has been on the minds of some of the festival's guests, with more than 900 actors and filmmakers signing an open letter denouncing "genocide" in the Palestinian territory, according to organisers.

Binoche, "Schindler's List" star Ralph Fiennes, US indie director Jim Jarmusch and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange -- in town to present a documentary he stars in -- are among the signatories.

Speaking at a press conference on Friday, UN special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, however, said that the festival felt like a "bubble of indifference."

Trump's presidency was denounced by US filmmaker Todd Haynes as "barbaric", while Chilean-American actor Pedro Pascal admitted it was "scary" to speak out against the Republican leader.

Agence France-Presse