From Hollywood heavyweights and festival chiefs to exhibitors, broadcasters, streamers, heads of state and industry figures from more than 60 countries converged at a historic site in the south of France, where pine trees, sculpture gardens and sun-drenched terraces offered a postcard-worthy backdrop to timely conversations about an industry in upheaval. The Lumiere Summit gathering on Sept. 7 in Saint-Paul-de-Vence — a famous site in France’s medieval history — took its name from the Lumière brothers, the French inventors who pioneered cinema in the 1890s. The first of its kind assembly was hosted by two world leaders with an interest in asserting their influence in entertainment on the world stage: French President Emmanuel Macron and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung.
For Macron, the stakes go far beyond the film and television business. The event was meant to rally forces as creative industries reckon with the rise of social media platforms, the transformative promise of AI and tumultuous global political landscape. It’s no accident that France and South Korea were motivated to flex some muscle in a business traditionally dominated by the U.S.
Both countries have tangled with President Donald Trump over tariffs and security concerns in recent months. Some concrete declarations regarding trade were unveiled at the held on the stunning grounds of the Fondation Maeght art foundation and museum complex. The discussions were held in a setting packed with priceless works by some of the 20th century’s biggest names (Braque, Calder, Chagall, Kandinsky and Miró, to name a few), which added weight to conversations about difficult issues, from the impact of social media scrolling on youth to concerns that the business model of YouTube et al is fundamentally undercutting art.
Macron didn’t hold back in suggesting that social media platforms that rely on revenue-sharing agreements with users are a danger to the centuries-old model in which artistic works are commissioned with financing support upfront from patrons or platforms. He also pointed to the rising tide of political censorship that threatens creative freedom and artists who push boundaries. It’s extremely important and I really believe it’s part of our DNA,” Macron told Variety at the summit.
The summit had the feel of a diplomatic event — complete with sword-bearing members of the Republican Guard lining up along a narrow red carpet to announce Macron’s arrival and a large delegation that accompanied South Korea’s Lee Jae Myung. Macron also nodded to the rising tide of political pressure being applied to arts and cultural institutions in Europe, the U.S. and beyond. Culture and art is part of what France is.
It’s part of our soft power outside and it’s a very important economy as well,” Macron said. That belief — that culture is simultaneously an economic force, a source of soft power and something that requires active protection — became the thesis for the gathering, the first of this scale in a century. Macron and Lee Jae Myung emphasized the urgency of the need to act as AI tools and A number of initiatives were unveiled at the event, notably: ** A pact between France and South Korea to build up film, TV, animation and gaming creative sectors, backed by $1.1 billion in investment. 2026 marks 150 years since France and Korea began diplomatic relations. ** The IRIS initiative (International Resilience Initiative for Independent Screens) that brings together several dozen filmmakers and industry leaders into a coalition deigned to help support specialty and art house theaters worldwide. ** An effort to create a world congress of state film commissions and related entities that will meet twice a year in an effort to shore up the future of independently financed films. ** A proposal to accelerate preservation efforts on behalf of vintage films in danger of being lost to film degradation. ** In a response to the AI boom, 120 of the Lumiere Summit’s 200 participants endorsed a declaration that pledged to prioritize human creation, copyright and cultural diversity in the artistic process.
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