The inaugural Lumière Summit in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, France, brought together more than 200 film, television and gaming executives, creators and public officials from more than 65 countries on September 7 to consider how the moving-image industries should respond to challenges ranging from artificial intelligence and the attention economy to piracy, discoverability and changing audience behavior. Co-chaired by French President Emmanuel Macron and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, the gathering culminated in a 15-point Lumière Declaration endorsed by more than 120 signatories.

For cinema operators, some of the most consequential language was unusually direct. The Declaration states that “sustaining theatrical exhibition is a shared interest across the sector,” arguing that diverse films need cinemas to thrive just as cinemas require a diverse supply of films. Exhibition was also strongly represented: UNIC says operators attending the Summit collectively represented around 80% of worldwide cinema admissions.

Among the Summit’s more concrete initiatives was IRIS, the International Resilience Initiative for Independent Screens, designed to provide financing, expertise and advocacy for independent cinemas worldwide. IRIS aims to raise EUR €30 million, allowing it to deploy EUR €10 million annually over its first three years, with France contributing EUR €1 million per year. Macron also announced a five-year EUR €1 billion France-Korea Lumière Partnership to support the wider moving-image sector and cultural sovereignty.

The Summit generated no shortage of lofty declarations, and some attendees questioned how much of its ambitious agenda will ultimately translate into lasting action. Screen Daily reported that private meetings frequently drew delegates away from panels and that some participants wondered whether the Lumière Declaration would still be remembered a decade from now. For exhibitors, however, putting theatrical cinema explicitly into a global declaration about the future of the moving image is significant. The more important test will be whether initiatives such as IRIS — and the commitments surrounding them — produce measurable results after everyone has left the South of France.