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

PARIS: 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.

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.

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.

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”