Emmanuel Macron called for global initiatives to protect the future of cinema and he sounded the alarm about the threats to artistic expression posed by the endless scroll of social media platforms during his opening speech at the Lumiere Summit on Monday .
The French president delivered heartfelt remarks that stressed the urgency of the need for action by a coalition of nations to ensure the viability of film.
“Movies and moving image undergoing radical changes that nobody can ignore,” Macron told the crowd gathered at the Fondation Maeght art museum, France’s very first independent art foundation, in Saint Paul de Vence.
Macron stressed the importance of the many initiatives unveiled at the summit is nothing less than the preservation of culture and heritage for countries throughout the world.
“Our identities are stories,” Macron said, according to a translator. “It’s our ability to write stories who tell who we, are explain who we are, thrill people from different backgrounds.”
Macron was most animated when he outlined what he sees as the dangers of people consuming so many images that are designed to provoke an instant reaction — and the emotional rush of users clicking a “like” button or some equivalent affirmation from users.
Macron called it “the paradox of our environment. We’ve never watched more images. But we’re running the risk of not seeing anything,” he said. There’s a risk “that this constant flow will digest everything, gobble everything up capturing our attention.”
This is a challenge to artists and filmmakers because “it’s upturning creativity, the ability to find an audience and to think,” Macron said. He nodded to the buzz around the creator economy by stating flatly, “Our attention is an economic resource.”
Macron’s comments come as traditional film and television companies are increasingly competing not only with each other but with YouTube, TikTok and other social and creator-driven platforms for viewers’ time, particularly among younger audiences.
In a Variety op-ed published on the eve of the summit, Macron argued that countries should work together to address those changes and protect their ability to finance and support local filmmaking rather than leave the future of cinema entirely to market forces and global platforms.
Macron is co-chairing the daylong Lumiere Summit with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, who also spoke at the opening session. Lee Jae Myung reiterated Macron’s points about the importance of carefully shoring up film for the future. He touted the importance of the trade agreement unveiled Monday between France and Korea that calls for the countries to invest more than $1 billion in beefing up production and animation capabilities.
“Independent cinema is important for the future, Lee Jae Myung said. “It will be the guarantee of its sustainable growth and the source of new imagination.”
The France-Korea initiative is part of the broader push behind the Lumière Summit to bring governments, filmmakers and entertainment executives together around issues including financing, artificial intelligence, changing viewing habits and the future of theatrical cinema.
The industry financing partnership is also one of the many concrete initiatives being unveiled at the event, including a cinematographic heritage protection program and others on piracy, gender equality and environmental sustainability.
The gathering brings together prominent figures from 65 countries, including political leaders, top entertainment executives and filmmakers, including Netflix’s Ted Sarandos, Disney’s Dana Walden and Alan Bergman, NBCUniversal’s Donna Langley, HBO’s Casey Bloys, Sony Pictures’ Tom Rothman, Paramount Skydance’s Andy Gordon, CJ Group’s Miky Lee, Sony Pictures Classics co-chief Michael Barker; Lynette Howell Taylor, producer and Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences president; CAA chief Bryan Lourd, Mediawan’s Chairman Pierre-Antoine Capton and CEO Elizabeth d’Arvieu, Rodolphe Belmer, CEO of TF1, EbonyLife Group’s Mo Adubu, Mubi’s Efe Çakarel, Vue’s Tim Richards, Canal+ Group Chairman Maxime Saada and CEO Anna Marsh, Cannes Film Festival President Iris Knobloch and Director Thierry Fremaux, and Directors Guild of America leader Russ Hollander, as well as boldface names such as George Clooney and producer-director Anthony Russo.
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