A major power outage affecting southeastern France disrupted traffic and briefly halted events at the Cannes Film Festival as the prestigious event prepared to hand out its top prize.

The outage across southern France temporarily disrupted screenings on the final day of the Cannes Film Festival and left thousands of households without power.

The city of Cannes was hit by a major power outage on Saturday morning, just hours before the film festival is set to award this year's Palme d'Or.