CANNES, France (AP) — Cannes is back. The lights are in position, the stars en route to the French Riviera. And Spike Lee’s face is peering out onto the Croisette from a huge banner announcing Tuesday’s debut of the world’s premier film festival. The show is running 14 months late, thanks to the pandemic. Cannes merchants, hoteliers and restaurateurs hope the return of the festival’s glamour and revenues heralds a broader renaissance for the region and France’s cultural world after an exceptionally damaging year. Cannes organizers are attempting the first full-scale film festival in the coronavirus era, despite worries about the delta variant, spreading fast across Europe.
