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French President Emmanuel Macron and his South Korean counterpart Lee Jae-myung announced during an official visit to South Korea the organization of a joint international summit titled "Cinema and Moving Image Summit," which will gather around 100 leaders from the cinema, series, and video game industries from around the world.
The summit will be held on September 7 at the Maeght Foundation in Saint-Paul de Vence in southern France, coinciding with the South Korean president's state visit to France. The summit will address key challenges facing the sector, such as the future of theatrical exhibition, the convergence of television with streaming platforms and gaming, as well as issues related to preserving cinematic heritage, sustainable production, and artificial intelligence.
Cultural and Industrial Cooperation Between France and South Korea
Gaëtan Rouillé, President of the French National Cinema Center, views this moment as a decisive turning point in the history of cinema, likening it to the invention of cinema 130 years ago. He emphasized the necessity of building new alliances that bring together cinema and video games, traditional and digital broadcasting, and Europe, Asia, and the United States to face future challenges.
France and South Korea both have rich cinematic histories and active local industries, and they share an appreciation for the importance of copyright. South Korea has notably excelled in television series, achieving global success with productions such as the Netflix series "Squid Game."
Challenges Facing the Cinema Market After the Pandemic
Both France and South Korea have experienced a decline in their cinema markets following the COVID-19 pandemic, with South Korea's box office revenues dropping by more than half between 2019 and 2024. Nevertheless, South Korea remains one of the largest content markets globally, with a market value of $43.1 billion in 2024.
It is worth noting that South Korea is celebrating the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations with France this year and was recently honored at the Series Mania festival in northern France.
This summit is part of previous French initiatives, including an international artificial intelligence summit organized by France in 2025, aimed at enhancing international cooperation in technology and culture.
This news has been re-edited based on a report published by variety.com, while preserving the essential facts presented in the source.
