France Launches Global Initiatives to Support Independent Cinema and Establish Framework for Alliance of State Film Commissions: Lumiere Summit
France has launched a new global initiative called IRIS (International Resilience Initiative for Independent Screens) to support independent cinema worldwide, unveiling it on Monday at the Lumiere Summit in Saint Paul de Vence. Backed by an array of leading filmmakers including Jane Campion, Pedro Almodóvar, Wim Wenders and Jafar Panahi, the scheme aims to strengthen the distributors, cinemas and nonprofit networks that keep independent film in circulation, particularly in regions where such infrastructure is weak or under threat. The move forms part of a broader French push, championed by President Emmanuel Macron and the CNC film body, to shape global "multilateralism" in cinema.
Alongside IRIS, France is also establishing the "Lumiere Alliance", a network open to national film agencies and public bodies, which will meet twice yearly, once around Cannes and once in a different host country. IRIS's international council includes figures such as Tilda Swinton, Juliette Binoche, Jim Jarmusch and Thomas Vinterberg, with the initiative intended to provide emergency funding and support to at-risk independent cinemas, plus promote film education for future audiences. Macron is due to host a follow-up gathering in New York on 22 September to develop the plan further.
In short
- France unveils IRIS to support global independent cinema at Lumiere Summit
- Top directors including Campion, Almodóvar and Wenders back the scheme
- New "Lumiere Alliance" of film bodies also launched; Macron hosts NY follow-up 22 September
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Advocates argue that independent cinema is a public good under genuine strain from streaming consolidation and the collapse of arthouse distribution and exhibition networks in many countries, and that without coordinated public support, diverse and non-commercial filmmaking voices risk being crowded out entirely. They would say that pooling emergency funding, sharing expertise across national film bodies, and building durable international infrastructure protects cultural pluralism and gives filmmakers working under censorship or economic hardship, such as those in Iran, a lifeline that no single national programme could provide alone. Supporters also see value in France, with its long tradition of cultural policy such as l'exception culturelle, using its convening power and CNC apparatus to formalise networks that already exist informally, turning goodwill among prominent directors into lasting institutional support.
The case against
Sceptics, while sympathetic to independent film's struggles, would question whether a state-led, France-headquartered initiative is the right vehicle, noting that a body founded and hosted by one government risks embedding that country's cultural priorities and aesthetic preferences into what is framed as a global standard. They might also worry that formal alliances of state film commissions could favour prestige auteurs and festival-circuit names already well connected to Cannes over genuinely marginal or commercially unfashionable filmmakers, and that public money and diplomatic energy spent on summits and councils may achieve less for struggling cinemas than targeted, locally accountable funding. Others could add that dependence on state and inter-governmental support carries its own risks to artistic independence, since bodies reliant on public funding may face subtler pressure to align with the political or diplomatic interests of their sponsoring governments.
Explained simply
France's IRIS scheme and Lumiere Alliance sit within the wider world of international cinema policy, where governments and film bodies coordinate to support smaller, non-mainstream films that struggle to reach audiences amid the dominance of major studios and streaming platforms. Independent cinemas, distributors and non-profit film networks in many countries operate on thin margins, and some are considered at risk of closure or collapse, particularly where public funding or infrastructure is limited.
The initiatives are led by France's CNC, the state body that oversees cinema and audiovisual policy, with backing from President Emmanuel Macron. They have drawn support from an international group of well-known directors and actors, including Jane Campion, Pedro Almodóvar and Tilda Swinton, reflecting a wider effort within the film industry to organise collectively around shared concerns about the future of independent film.
Saint Paul de Vence, where the Lumiere Summit took place, is a town in the south of France with long-standing ties to the arts. The plans are still at an early stage, with further discussions expected at a follow-up meeting in New York, so their eventual scope, funding and membership have yet to be fully worked out.
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