What caused the power outage during Cannes Film Festival’s final day? What we know so far

The last day of the Cannes Film Festival faced a power outage that lasted for a few hours. According to the French authorities, the power cut may have been the result of arson. They suspect that this act was done in order to disrupt the closing ceremony of the Cannes Film Festival, including the Palme d’Or ceremony.

The power cut affected more than just the Cannes Film Festival. It also impacted up to 160,000 households in the French Riviera, including traffic lights, causing confusion and traffic jams. Stores were also affected, where many had to switch back to using cash for transactions. In addition to arson, reports from BFMTV claimed that three out of four of the electricity pillars were cut off with a saw.

The power outage was believed not to be a coincidence but a "malicious act" carried out to disrupt the festival. Laurent Hottiaux, who is the prefect of the Alpes-Maritimes region, said that he condemned all the:

"...serious acts of damage to electrical infrastructures," and added, "All resources are mobilized to identify, track down, arrest and bring to justice the perpetrators of these acts."

How did the Cannes Film Festival manage after the power outage?

The power outage did affect many screenings on May 24, 2025. According to a statement:

"All scheduled events and screenings, including the Closing Ceremony, will proceed as planned and under normal conditions... At this stage, the cause of the outage has not yet been identified. Restoration efforts are underway."

One of the screening venues that was affected was the Cineum. It was one of the festival’s satellite venues.

However, that did not stop the closing ceremony or the Palme d’Or ceremony. The Cannes Film Festival went ahead with its program using backup generators to power the event until the end.

The attendees were patiently waiting for the announcement of the winner of the Palme d’Or. The contenders for the award were:

• Joachim Trier’s “Sentimental Value”
• Jafar Panahi’s “It Was Just an Accident”
• Kleber Mendonça Filho’s “The Secret Agent”
• Óliver Laxe’s “Sirât.”

The Palme d'Or winner for the Film Festival 2025 was awarded to Iranian director Jafar Panahi for his film, which was inspired by his time when he was imprisoned by the Iranian regime.

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The power outage on the final day of the Cannes Film Festival 2025 was not the last. A day later, the same area faced another power outage, and the French authorities are currently investigating the perpetrators. The French MEP Éric Ciotti calls the power cuts "terrorist attacks" that "must be fought relentlessly".

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