17-05-2025
Falling Palm Tree Strikes Talent Agent at Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes Film Festival took an unexpected turn on May 17 after high winds knocked down a palm tree on the Croisette promenade, seriously injuring a talent agent.
According to Reuters, the man, whose name has not been released, is the agent for one of the actors in the Japanese film, Brand New Landscape. He is currently in the hospital and will be meeting with a specialist "after damaging his vertebrate and his nose," per festival organizers.
An eyewitness explained to the Agence France-Presse what happened as the wind picked up in Cannes. "There was a terrible gust of wind and suddenly I heard screaming," they said. "I turned around and saw a palm tree that had been uprooted, a palm tree that was in poor condition…and it had knocked the person to the ground, who was seriously injured.'
Colorado filmmaker, Harrison Sheehan, told Reuters that he saw a crowd gathering and thought it was paparazzi taking snapshots of a celebrity.
"I just took like two steps further and there was a man on the ground with like blood all around his head," he explained.
The accident has been zoned off by police so that local authorities can work on removing the tree while the festivities continue without interruption. Brand New Landscape premiered on May 16, but the movie's team has canceled the rest of their events, per the media outlet.
Cannes Film Festival runs through Saturday, May 24.
