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.
