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French union threatens to turn off the electricity at Cannes Film Festival

The Local France
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French union threatens to turn off the electricity at Cannes Film Festival
This photograph taken on April 13, 2023 shows the Cannes Film festival logo (Photo by Thomas SAMSON / AFP)

The phrase "Lights, camera, action!" may not be possible during this year's Cannes Film Festival, after French unions threatened to shut off the power in protest against President Macron's unpopular pension reform.

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The hardline French union, the CGT, has threatened to cut the power to the Cannes film festival, set to start mid-May.

In response to French President Emmanuel Macron's calls for "100 days of appeasement and unity" after pushing pension reform through, the CGT union representing energy sector workers has called for "100 days of anger". 

In a statement, the union promised more protest action during the month of May, with electricity disruptions to major cultural and sporting events. 

"In May, do what you please! The Cannes Film Festival, the Monaco Grand Prix, the French Open, the Avignon Festival (an annual arts festival) could be in the dark! We won't give up!" the union wrote in their statement, according to 20 Minutes.

In particular, the group said they would take action on May 3rd, when the Constitutional Council is set to announce their decision on whether to give the green light to a referendum on pension reform. 

The Cannes Film Festival, whose 76th edition is set to run from May 16th to 27th, has not yet responded to the threat.

According to BFMTV reporter Anna Créti, specialised in the energy sector, the union does "technically have the means" to cause disruption to the festival with power cuts.

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French unions have cut the power during strikes before - most recently, the CGT union has targeted several locations, such as Alsace, Hérault, and Montpellier, that the president has visited as he travels across country in hopes of putting the pension reform behind him. 

In February and March, some striking energy promised 'Robin des bois' (robin hood) actions to restore free electricity to public places like hospitals or daycare centres, while others targetted the neighbourhoods of politicians favouring pension reform, including the labour minister, Olivier Dussopt. The site of what will be the Athlete's village for the Paris 2024 Olympics was also impacted by power cuts.

While many power cuts have been short - just a few minutes long - others have lasted up to several hours, like one that targeted the town of Annonay in Ardèche, causing over 2,000 homes to be without power in early March.

READ MORE: Fact-check: Are French unions cutting electricity to towns during strikes?

This would not be the first time that a protest movement has disrupted the Cannes Film festival, however. In May 1968, a period of protest and civil unrest in France, a group of filmmakers led by Jean-Luc Godard and François Truffaut interrupted the festival, eventually causing it to be cancelled.

The Festival released its poster for the 2023 edition, using an image of Catherine Deneuve from 1968.

The official selection of films was announced on April 13th, and it included those by six female directors - a record for the event.

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