The Lumière Summit, the very first forum around changes in cinema, will take place this Monday, September 7 at the Fondation Maeght, a very well-known venue in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, in the Alpes-Maritimes. Where does it come from, what is it, who are the guests… We tell you everything about this exceptional event.
Pedro Almodóvar, Juliette Binoche, but also representatives from Disney, Universal and Netflix, the president of the Oscar Academy and members of the main American film schools... All the elite of world cinema will be gathered this Monday, September 7, at the Maeght Foundation, a highly recognized venue in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, in the Alpes-Maritimes.
They will all participate in the first-ever Light Summit, co-chaired by French President Emmanuel Macron and his South Korean counterpart Lee Jae-myung. This forum aims to provide “concrete” responses to the upheavals that are weakening the industry. So, where does this summit come from, what will be discussed there, what could come out of it... We tell you everything before this event which promises to be historic.
Where does this peak come from?
Announced last April by the President of the French Republic during his trip to Seoul, the Lumière Summit comes from an observation: “we are experiencing an unprecedented moment of change in the entire sector”, specifies its secretary general, Vincent Florant. In five years, "the COVID-19 pandemic and the strikes in Hollywood have combined with significant structural changes linked to the evolution of public uses and technological transformations", add the organizers on their site.
“The challenges are considerable,” they say. The French government has therefore tasked the National Center for Cinema and Animated Images (CNC) with creating an event which aims to be a “Davos of cinema”. The idea is therefore to “try to provide concrete responses to the upheavals, whether political, technical or societal, which are currently weakening the industry”.
Why organize it in Saint-Paul-de-Vence?
“The idea was to have the right people and direct exchanges, therefore not to invite 3,000 speakers as we do at other summits,” explains Vincent Florant. The organizers therefore looked for an inspiring place for this and settled on the Maeght Foundation. “What better place than to do it here?”, he asks himself, “in a place of creation where we come across the works of many artists”.
Could the visit of Brigitte Macron, in June 2025, with other wives of heads of state, to this same foundation on the occasion of the Ocean Summit, have played a role in this decision? The question deserves to be asked.
What is the program?
Many themes are expected to be discussed during this day, which will be divided into five main topics. First, "the new frontiers of creation" will be discussed, particularly around the implications of technological developments linked to AI, but also "links with free platforms" or the "fight against piracy". Then, it will be time to discuss questions around the sector's economic model, "with the convergence between television and streaming, in particular".
Two other themes will be addressed: already, the link with the public, in particular to know "how can the industry recreate the conditions allowing works to meet their audiences, to create value and to have a lasting impact". And finally, the speakers will discuss the idea of transmission of cinema, to understand "what must the industries preserve, transform and transmit to continue to deserve the public's trust?"
Who should be present?
We have already mentioned them: the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, and his South Korean counterpart, Lee Jae-myung, will co-chair the Summit. Otherwise, according to information from the specialist site Boxoffice Pro, confirmed by Vincent Florent, other big names in the industry will be represented: Dana Walden for Disney, Donna Langley for Universal and Tom Rothman for Sony Pictures, as well as Ted Sarandos for Netflix.
Representatives of independent cinema will also be on site, as will members of the largest international festivals, such as Cannes, Toronto and the Berlinale.
What could come out of this?
Vincent Florant specifies that “really important announcements” will come out of this summit. In particular, a declaration to align the positions of all those present in the sector. But also texts on more specific subjects, “such as artificial intelligence”. The second point will focus on the economic part. “The sector weighs extremely heavily, with enormous impact on local economies.”
