Adopted at the inaugural Lumière Summit in France in early September, the Lumière Declaration established a 15-point global framework to safeguard the future of cinema and moving image. Key themes include human creativity and storytelling, copyright protection and cultural diversity. Also addressed is the commodification of audience attention and the possibilities and threats AI poses to moving image content.
The inaugural Lumière Summit was held in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, France on 7 September 2026 under the tagline ‘Forging new alliances for cinema and the moving image’. Co-convened by the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, and the President of the Republic of Korea, Lee Jae Myung, it brought together representatives of countries, regions and international organisations, leaders of the film, television and gaming industries, creators, talents, festivals and cultural institutions from across the world to engage with the question of how the value of the moving image can be created, shared and sustained in the decade ahead.
As part of the summit a number of statements were released, including the Lumière Declaration on The Future of Cinema and the Moving Image. These accompany a number of other initiatives.
Broadly, Lumière Declaration speaks to the value of arts and culture, human creators and creativity, the need for cultural diversity in moving image storytelling, the threats and opportunities artificial intelligence (AI) poses to the sector, the importance of copyright and intellectual property (IP), the need to preserve moving image content for the future and the urgent need for image literacy.
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What’s in this briefing
This briefing on the Lumière Declaration includes:
- an overview of the declaration text
- a summary of each of the 15 principles put forward in the declaration
About the declaration
The Lumière Declaration was jointly presented by France and the Republic of Korea. It opens with a warning and a provocation: The moving image is at a pivotal moment (Lumière Declaration 2026:1). AI is 'transforming the conditions of creation', audience experiences and the importance of audiovisual experiences in our lives meaning ‘the choices we make today will help ensure the value of the moving image continues to grow, culturally as much as economically (Lumière Declaration 2026:1). To rise to the challenge it emphasises that a shared, cooperative, multilateral approach is needed:
