Lumière Summit – A Global Pact to Safeguard the Future of Cinema

On September 7 (scheduled), French President Emmanuel Macron and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung co-chaired the inaugural Lumière Summit in Saint-Paul-de-Vence.

President Lee Departs for France, Set to Co-Chair 'Lumiere Summit'

Concrete outcomes announced were:

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• A France-Korea partnership committing €500 million each (total €1 billion) to fund production, animation and research from 2027-2031.

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• The IRIS International Resilience Initiative for Independent Screens, aimed at protecting and connecting independent distributors, cinemas and nonprofit networks worldwide.

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• Two multilateral declarations – the Lumière Declaration on the Future of Cinema and the Moving Image and the Declaration on Strengthened International Cooperation in the Fight Against Film and Audiovisual Piracy – signed by governments, the Motion Picture Association and other industry bodies.

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Organizers reported more than 200 participants from 65 countries, held at the Fondation Maeght art museum.

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The summit addressed concerns that platforms such as YouTube and TikTok are reshaping audience habits and diverting attention from traditional film and television. Panels, set by the French National Centre for Cinema and the Image (CNC), covered artificial intelligence, piracy, gender equality, environmental sustainability and the economics of attention.

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• Funding pledge: €500 million from France (through Bpifrance and the CNC) and €500 million from South Korea.

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• International production in France: Since January 2026, foreign productions have committed €628.5 million, projected to near €1 billion by year-end.

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• Attendance: Over 200 industry leaders and policymakers, including Netflix’s Ted Sarandos, Disney’s Dana Walden and Cannes Film Festival President Iris Knobloch.

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• Declarations signed: More than 30 governments and private-sector entities joined each declaration.

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• Macron framed the summit as a call for “multilateralism for the moving image,” urging nations to protect cultural heritage and treat attention as an economic resource for creators.

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• Gaëtan Bruel, president of the CNC, echoed this, noting the need to address the whole ecosystem—from image literacy to AI-driven transformations.

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• “Movies and moving image undergoing radical changes that nobody can ignore,” — Emmanuel Macron

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• “This summit proved a vital forum to translate that common ground into greater cooperation,” Rivkin said.” — Charles Rivkin, chair and CEO

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• “We don’t judge artists by their passport, we judge them by their works,” — Laurence Herszberg, mania general director

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• September 8 (scheduled): President Lee will hold a summit-lunch with Macron and attend a business roundtable with roughly 20 French and Korean companies.

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• September 9 (scheduled): Lee will meet French National Assembly Speaker Yael Braun-Pivet and OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann before returning to Seoul.

Lee Departs for France to Co-Chair Lumiere Summit

• The IRIS initiative plans its first international council meeting later in 2026, with a follow-up gathering scheduled for May 2027 around the Cannes Film Festival.

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These actions signal a coordinated effort by governments and industry leaders to shape a sustainable future for cinema amid digital disruption.

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