Latest news with #closingceremony
Malay Mail
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Malay Mail
Power outage hits Cannes Festival finale after suspected arson and pylon sabotage, but red carpet rolls on
CANNES, May 25 — Suspected vandalism knocked out power to the French Riviera town Cannes on the final day of its film festival yesterday, but organisers said the show would go on at their glitzy closing ceremony. A suspected arson attack on a local substation and the sabotage of an electricity pylon along the coast were blamed for the more than five-hour outage. Festival goers and tourists were left scrambling for paper money during the black-out, which left cash machines out-of-order and restaurants unable to process card payments. The festival said it had 'switched to an alternative electricity power supply, which enables us to maintain the events and screenings planned for today in normal conditions, including the closing ceremony'. Inside its headquarters, journalists dressed up in black tie and headed to the red carpet for the closing ceremony where French actor Juliette Binoche and her jury will hand out awards, including 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 despotism in 'Two Prosecutors', according to analysis from Screen magazine. 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 received an extraordinary 19-minute standing ovation after its premiere on Thursday. Rave-themed road trip movie 'Sirat' by Franco-Spanish director Oliver Laxe also has many cheerleaders on Cannes famed Croisette sea-front boulevard. Fire details Power was being restored to Cannes by the middle of the afternoon, with traffic lights blinking back into life after they went blank at around 10:00 am (0800 GMT). Local officials said a suspected arson attack on the substation about 12 kilometres northwest of central Cannes had caused a major fire at around 02:00 am. Firefighters in seven different vehicles required five hours to extinguish the flames, the officials told AFP. Along the coast in the opposite direction, a pylon which carries a high-voltage line was discovered with three of its four legs damaged, the local prosecutor's office announced. Politics Amid the glitz and glamour at this year's politically charged Cannes Festival, the wars in Ukraine and Gaza as well as US President Donald Trump have been major talking-points. 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 — were 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. Awards Other awards have already started to be announced. The first Chechen film to screen at the Cannes Festival — 'Imago' — won best documentary, while the film about the life of Assange — 'The Six Billion Dollar Man' — picked up a special jury prize on Friday. In the secondary Un Certain Regard section, Chilean filmmaker Diego Cespedes won the top prize for 'The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo', which follows a group of trans women living in a desert mining town in the 1980s. French actor-turned-director Hafsia Herzi won the unofficial Queer Palm for 'The Last One', a coming-of-age tale about a teenage lesbian Muslim living in Paris. 'I wanted to show that there were no borders in friendship, in love,' Herzi said. On a lighter note, a sheepdog that features in Icelandic family drama 'The Love That Remains' won the Palm Dog prize for canine performers in festival films, organisers announced. Icelandic director Hlynur Palmason cast his own pet, Panda, in his poignant story about a couple navigating a separation and the impact on their family. — AFP
LBCI
24-05-2025
- Climate
- LBCI
Power outage hits Cannes region during film festival
A major power outage hit the area around the French Rivera resort of Cannes on Saturday, the final day of the city's film festival, though organizers said the closing ceremony would not be affected. The cause of the power cut, which began just after 10:00 am (0800 GMT), is unknown. Grid operator RTE said 160,000 homes had been affected. AFP
Telegraph
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Cannes power cut threatens closing ceremony
The Cannes Film Festival has been hit by a major power cut just hours before its star-studded closing ceremony. Towns along the French Riviera were affected by a blackout on Saturday as VIPs flocked to the region. Local media reports suggested that 'malicious acts' may be behind the cut, which caused chaos along a glamorous stretch of coast favoured by Hollywood actors and the mega-rich. Mobile networks, 4G, traffic systems and train lines were all affected, making travel and communication difficult. The headquarters of the festival switched to a backup power supply that organisers hoped would allow the closing ceremony to take place. An official statement from the Cannes Film Festival said: 'A power outage is currently affecting the city of Cannes and surrounding areas. At this stage, the cause of the outage has not yet been identified. Restoration efforts are underway. 'The Palais des Festivals has switched to an independent power supply, allowing all scheduled events and screenings, including the closing ceremony, to proceed as planned and under normal conditions.' The first signs of power trouble were seen ahead of a press conference with The Crown star John O'Connor, when a loud bang was heard in the festival building, before it was plunged into temporary darkness. Power was briefly restored, but shortly after midday the electricity failed and locals struggled to use their mobile phones. Guests of the festival were later seen paying for drinks and ice cream in cash as expensive local restaurants lost the use of card machines. France Info, a radio network, has relayed unconfirmed reports that two 'malicious acts' took place along train lines in the Var region, to the west of Cannes, before the blackout. Cannes bosses hope the reserve power at the Palais des Festivals will be sufficient for final screenings of films enjoying their premiere, and for the closing ceremony.
The Guardian
19-05-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Tears, Toffee Ladies and Sylvester Stallone: Everton's last Premier League match at Goodison
We take a look at our pick of the best images from an emotion filled Goodison Park as it played host to a men's match for the final time Tom Jenkins and agencies Main image: Fans cheer during the closing ceremony after the Everton's last men's match at Goodison Park. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian Mon 19 May 2025 09.23 BST Last modified on Mon 19 May 2025 09.25 BST
