Cannes festival reacts to Manchester attack with sombre silence

The Cannes Film Festival has held a minute's silence for the victims of the bombing at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester.

“The Festival de Cannes would like to express its horror, anger and immense sadness following the attack on the public and the city of Manchester last night,” a statement read. “This is yet another attack on culture, youth and joyfulness, on our freedom, generosity and tolerance, all things that the festival and those who make it possible – the artists, professionals and spectators – hold dear.”

At 3pm French time, Thierry Frémaux, director of the festival, arrived at the top of the steps that lead to the Lumière Theatre, where the grand premieres take place, paid tribute to the dead and expressed solidarity with the United Kingdom. He stood silent before a crowd of senior staff. When the minute was up, a respectful ripple of applause swept through the watching crowds.

Pixar Pictures has announced that it will be cancelling a reception to celebrate the release of Cars 3. The event was to have been held at the luxurious Carlton Hotel on the town's famous Croisette. A Pixar representative explained: "In the wake of last night's tragic attack, and out of respect for the casualties and all of those impacted, we are not moving forward with today's promotional activities."

The fireworks display to honour the event’s 70th anniversary has also been cancelled.

Tight security

Security had already been hugely increased in response to the terrorist attack in Nice last July. Attendees are, for the first time, required to pass through metal detectors before attending screenings. This has resulted in uncharacteristic delays at morning screenings and significant queues outside the Palais des Festivals.

Huge stone urns containing flowers have been scattered across La Croisette to block potential attack by vehicle. The measure has led to minor inconvenience as those attending red-carpet premieres, dressed in Armani and Tom Ford, awkwardly scale the pots placed at pedestrian crossings.

On Saturday night, the Debussy Theatre was evacuated as hundreds of journalists waited outside for the press screening of Michel Hazanavicius' Redoubtable. After an unexplained delay, security personnel came out and waved the waiting crowds away to within 20 or 30 feet of the steps. The film eventually started about 40 minutes late.

Before the attack, much of the media attention had focused on the arrival of Al Gore, former US vice-president, to discuss the follow-up to his Oscar-winning documentary An Inconvenient Truth. Titled An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power, the film deals with the international community's continuing efforts to contain climate change.

At a press event, Gore addressed US president Donald Trump’s potential withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement. “I don’t know what [his decision] will be, but I think there’s an excellent chance that he will surprise many by deciding to stay in the Paris agreement,” Gore said hopefully.

The festival continues in muted fashion.