Two Vietnamese representatives attend global film summit in France

Two Vietnamese film figures joined more than 200 of the global industry’s most influential representatives at the Lumière Summit in France on Sept. 7. The event was co-hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and organized by France’s National Centre for Cinema.

Vietnam was represented by Dr. Ngô Phương Lan, chairwoman of the Vietnam Film Development Promotion Association and director of the Da Nang Asian Film Festival for four editions, and Đinh Thị Thanh Hương, executive chairwoman of Galaxy Studio.

The gathering brought together senior figures from Netflix, Disney, NBCUniversal, HBO, Sony Pictures, CAA and major cinema organizations. Among those attending were Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos, Disney Entertainment chairmen Dana Walden and Alan Bergman, NBCUniversal Entertainment chairwoman Donna Langley, HBO chairman Casey Bloys and Sony Pictures chairman Tom Rothman. Cannes artistic director Thierry Frémaux and Berlin Film Festival director Tricia Tuttle were also listed among the participants.

Security was exceptionally tight. Participants told Screen Daily they compared the event with major international summits, which are more commonly dedicated to issues such as finance or climate change.

The summit sought solutions to disruptions caused by AI, streaming services and the creator economy. Le Monde reported that Macron called for a new form of “multilateralism” to support a global film industry weakened by falling cinema attendance. He said films reflect their era and humanity, while each production supports creators, technicians, companies, jobs and an entire value chain. Participants signed the Lumière Declaration, establishing principles for a multilateral mechanism. The summit also launched a plan to support independent cinema and a €1 billion France-South Korea agreement for the global film industry from 2027 through 2031.

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Because films reflect something about our era and who we are, and because behind every film are creators, technicians, companies, jobs and an entire value chain, we must regain control over these major technological transformations.