President Lee: ‘We Must Turn the Film and Video Industry’s Crisis into an Opportunity’

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung said the film and video industry must turn sweeping changes into an opportunity rather than allow them to become a crisis.

Speaking at the opening of the Lumière Summit in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, France, Lee pointed to the changed media environment and audience behavior since the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the rapid spread of artificial intelligence. He said these developments are driving major changes in how films and video content are produced and consumed.

“If we fail to properly respond to the changes of the times, it is clearly a crisis. But if we respond actively, it is clearly an opportunity,” Lee said.

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If we fail to properly respond to the changes of the times, it is clearly a crisis. But if we respond actively, it is clearly an opportunity.

Lee attended the summit as co-chair with French President Emmanuel Macron. He said leaders of the film and video industries, which have driven innovation in the cultural sector, should work together to find ways to make change an opportunity instead of a crisis.

Lee also referred to the crisis facing cinemas after the pandemic. “We must ensure that the cinemas we remember and love are passed on to the next generation,” he said, calling for more good films that give audiences a reason to watch them in theaters and for their wider production and distribution. The summit adopted the Lumière Declaration.

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We must ensure that the cinemas we remember and love are passed on to the next generation.