An arson attack and damage to a transmission tower cut off power in the area, the authorities said. The festival’s closing ceremony on Saturday is scheduled to proceed normally.

French authorities believe arson may have played a role in a power outage Saturday in southeast France that threatened to jeopardize the Cannes Film Festival's closing celebrations, including the much-anticipated Palme d'Or ceremony.

Deliberate acts of sabotage left much of southeastern France without power on the final day of the glamorous Cannes Film Festival, threatening the closing ceremonies.