The French government has taken a significant step to bolster independent cinema on a global scale. At the recent Lumiere Summit in the picturesque town of Saint Paul de Vence France unveiled two ambitious initiatives: the International Resilience Initiative for Independent Screens (IRIS) and the Lumiere Alliance of global film commissions. These initiatives aim to strengthen the exhibition of independently financed films and foster international collaboration in the film industry.
The Lumiere Summit drew a distinguished gathering of filmmakers, including Richard LinklaterRebecca ZlotkowskiJafar PanahiJane CampionPedro AlmodóvarWim WendersTarik Saleh and Jia Zhang-ke. These industry leaders have signed on to support IRIS, which is designed to protect, strengthen, and connect cinemas, distributors, and nonprofit networks that make film diversity possible.
The International Resilience Initiative for Independent Screens (IRIS)
IRIS is a response to the growing challenges faced by independent cinema. The initiative aims to address the weakening ecosystem that brings independent films to audiences. Unlike film production, which can relocate, independent distribution and exhibition depend on locally rooted institutions that often receive less support. IRIS is the first international mechanism dedicated to the circulation of independent cinema, combining funding, expertise, and advocacy.
The goal of IRIS is to create stronger connections between filmmakers and the nonprofit entities, state commissions, and private investors who fuel independent film finance. The initiative also aims to intervene rapidly when an independent cinema, distributor, or nonprofit network is at risk, particularly in territories where support is most needed. Emergency funding, expertise, and international backing are key components of this rapid response mechanism.
Film education and appreciation efforts are also part of IRIS’s mission. The initiative seeks to bring new generations into cinemas through film education, expose them to diverse films, and help build the audiences that independent cinema will depend on tomorrow. France expects that countries will pledge support for the initiative, and French President Emmanuel Macron will host a gathering in New York on Sept. 22 to further discuss the IRIS plan.
The Lumiere Alliance of Global Film Commissions
The Lumiere Alliance is open to any national agency or public body whose mission is to support, defend, or promote cinema or the moving image. The goal is to host two gatherings per year—one around the Cannes film festival in May and the other in a different host country each year. French officials describe their vision for the Alliance as a safety net that can serve as a ‘missing global link’ to accelerate sector-wide activity and innovations beyond borders.
The Alliance aims to foster multilateralism around the future of film, a vision aggressively promoted by French President Emmanuel Macron and the nation’s CNC film body in recent weeks. The Alliance is part of a broader push by France to exert influence across the global film marketplace.
The Vision Behind the Initiatives
French officials emphasize that cinema and audiovisual creation are more than industries. They carry stories, languages, and cultures, shape how societies represent themselves, and give audiences access to perspectives beyond their own. The vitality of cinema depends on cultural diversity, freedom of creation, creators’ rights, access to works, thriving cinemas, and the ability of new generations to discover and understand images. Preserving these conditions is therefore not only an economic objective but also a public responsibility that increasingly needs to be considered beyond national borders.
The Lumiere Summit has drawn a who’s who of global content to the historic French Riviera town of Saint Paul de Vence, where the daylong conference is unfolding at the Fondation Maeght art foundation and museum. The summit materials highlight the urgent need to protect and strengthen the ecosystem that brings independent films to audiences.
These initiatives aim to foster international collaboration, provide emergency support, and educate new generations about the importance of independent film. As the film industry continues to evolve, these initiatives serve as a beacon of hope for the future of independent cinema.
