Cannes is back.

The lights are in position, the stars en route to the French Riviera. And Spike LeeB次元官网网址檚 face is peering out onto the Croisette from a huge banner announcing

The show is running 14 months late, thanks to the pandemic. And itB次元官网网址檚 about time for the cityB次元官网网址檚 merchants, hoteliers and restaurateurs, who hope the return of the festivalB次元官网网址檚 glamour and revenues heralds a broader renaissance for the region and FranceB次元官网网址檚 cultural world after an exceptionally damaging year.

B次元官网网址淲e lost all of the international conventions, congress, large events like the film festival. So we lost millions,B次元官网网址� Charles Richez, director of the Majestic Hotel, told The Associated Press. B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e very happy now to have the film festival again. ItB次元官网网址檚 the beginning of the return of all the international events.B次元官网网址�

Cannes organizers are attempting the first full-scale film festival in the coronavirus era, despite worries about the delta variant which is spreading fast across Europe.

Virus infections in the Cannes area have been slightly lower than the national per capita average in recent weeks, and vaccinations are going slightly faster. But local officials have expressed concern that the opening up to foreigners puts tourist destinations like Cannes at new risk of outbreaks.

Masks are required at festival events, and attendees are required to test every 48 hours. But moviegoers can sit next to each other, and the festival has no virtual component.

Thierry Fr茅maux, artist director of the festival, addressed the press on the eve of opening day and described protocols that were evolving.

B次元官网网址淲e always said last year that if the festival was canceled, it was because the situation was more serious than the existence of a film festival also the biggest festival in the world,B次元官网网址� said Fremaux. B次元官网网址淎nd the situation, as you know, was serious. It is not over. The epidemic is not conquered. But this year, we will have to be careful B次元官网网址� be reasonable and be very careful. B次元官网网址�

Visitors are trickling back to the cityB次元官网网址檚 shoreline and families are frolicking on Cannes beaches as FranceB次元官网网址檚 summer vacation season kicks off this week. Tourists took selfies in front of the festival banner, unfurled Sunday and adorned with palm trees, seagulls and jury president Spike LeeB次元官网网址檚 trademark cap and glasses.

As workers give a final polish to the windows of the Palais de Festivals, thereB次元官网网址檚 no sign that this temple of world cinema was lined with hospital beds early in the pandemic, or used as a B次元官网网址渧accinodromeB次元官网网址� earlier this year.

But itB次元官网网址檚 still not quite a normal year. Cannes crowds are small so far, and restaurants have more empty tables. Some shopfronts remained boarded up.

A successful festival would be a boost for CannesB次元官网网址� conservative mayor, who just won a re-election and earns outsized national attention for hosting the worldB次元官网网址檚 cinema elite in his city of 75,000 that he calls a B次元官网网址済lobal village.B次元官网网址�

It would also be a big relief for President Emmanuel MacronB次元官网网址檚 government, which flung open FranceB次元官网网址檚 doors to American and other foreign tourists just in time for the Cannes festival, after repeated surges of the virus took more than 111,000 lives and hammered the economy and health care system.

With infections France starting to tick up again after weeks of decline, authorities are urging more people to get vaccinated to avert a summer lockdown.

For 12 days at Cannes, though, the virus will take a back seat to glamour, intrigue and drama onscreen and off. Leos CaraxB次元官网网址檚 musical B次元官网网址淎nnetteB次元官网网址� opens the event Tuesday, followed by films by Wes Anderson, Sean Penn and filmmakers from around the world. Some were official selections last year for a festival that never happened.

B次元官网网址淲e just want to work,B次元官网网址� said Enzo Comme, manager of a Cannes cafe called New. B次元官网网址淲e donB次元官网网址檛 want aid from the government B次元官网网址� we just need to open, to work and then afterward, if itB次元官网网址檚 possible, we want to take off these masks.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址擭icolas Garriga And Adam Egan, The Associated Press