France and Korea Commit €1 Billion to Global Film Fund

France and South Korea each pledged €500 million at the Lumière Summit to launch a five-year film and TV financing partnership deploying from 2027.

At the Lumière Summit in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, southern France, Presidents Emmanuel Macron and Lee Jae-myung jointly launched the Lumière Partnership, a five-year, €1 billion screen industry investment program, with first funding instruments set to deploy from 2027 through 2031. The summit, named for cinema pioneers Auguste and Louis Lumière, gathered roughly 200–300 industry figures from more than 55 countries at the Maeght Foundation, with guests including Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos, NBCUniversal's Donna Langley, CAA's Bryan Lourd, and George Clooney, as reported by the Northeast Times and Variety.

France's €500 million will flow through the state investment bank Bpifrance, which, alongside the CNC, has already advanced nearly 150 companies through its French Touch plan, according to Variety. The envelope covers equity investment in internationally positioned companies, research and development funding, and co-financing arrangements that spread risk across banks and private investors. South Korea is matching the commitment exactly. According to Northeast Times, citing Deadline, President Lee said Korea would take the lead in producing content that resonates globally and crosses language barriers, pointing to the country's track record with internationally celebrated productions.

The pairing is striking because, as Macron wrote in a Variety op-ed, the two countries have taken different paths yet both show that openness to the world can strengthen rather than erase a distinctive creative culture. Chosun Ilbo's business outlet reports that Lee framed the moment around Korean cinema history, noting 2026 marks 100 years since Na Un-gyu's 'Arirang,' and citing 'Parasite,' 'Burning,' 'Kingdom,' and 'K-pop Demon Hunters' as proof of Korea's global reach. A bilateral pool of this size, aimed at companies competing at international scale, counts among the largest public financing commitments for the sector in recent years, per Señal News.

Beyond the money, Macron used the summit to call for a new multilateral framework for global film, arguing governments must regain control over major technological transformations. On AI, he warned it would be a tremendous mistake if the technology became a tool that replaces or claims to replace authors, creators, and voice actors, and he called for stronger copyright protections, according to Señal News and Arab News. He also announced a new international organization to bring together independent cinemas worldwide, with the goal of preserving diverse theatrical models as streaming competition and declining attendance pressure traditional production.

The pledge lands as France reports a surge in inbound production: since January 2026, international productions have committed €628.5 million of spending there, including €379.9 million in fiction, €207.1 million in animation, and €41.5 million in visual effects, figures Variety reports are on track to approach €1 billion by year-end, roughly double the prior year. Saudi representation was also visible: Arab News reports Red Sea Film Foundation CEO Faisal Baltyuor joined a festival panel alongside heads of the Berlinale, Toronto, and Busan festivals. The partnership remains open to additional countries that commit to human creativity as the primary driver of content, copyright protection, and cultural diversity.

Funding does not begin flowing until 2027, giving both governments time to build the equity, innovation, and co-financing instruments described by Variety and Señal News. President Lee urged, per Chosun Ilbo, that the industry turn the theater crisis into opportunity, saying multilateral cooperation is needed so more independent films can be made continuously and that Korea will be a strong partner for them. Whether other nations join, and how the partnership's human-creativity principles hold against AI-driven production tools, will determine whether the summit's billion-euro promise becomes the new template for financing global screen content.