A Call from Leading Film and Moving Image Schools Around the World to the Industry, Public Institutions and Governements 

Developed by a consortium bringing together Université Sorbonne Nouvelle (inIdEx ICCA), CNRS (PEPR ICCARE), Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, Nantes Université, La Rochelle Université, ENS Louis-Lumière and La Fémis, the Summit’s research contribution sets out a framework for understanding and responding to the transformations driven by artificial intelligence, platforms and digital infrastructures. Artificial intelligence, is accelerating changes already driven by digital technologies, platforms and globalisation, reshaping creative capacities, economic power and access to audiences while creating new dependencies on data, algorithms and infrastructures The contribution calls for approaches that move beyond traditional oppositions between creation and technology, diversity and patterns of use, and sovereignty and openness. The contribution proposes four priorities:  

1. Developing international scientific commons;  
2. Building a shared research agenda;  
3. Strengthening education and training; 
4. Connecting digital infrastructures, discoverability and image education within cultural policy.  

A concept to watch. In an age of generative models, representation begins with the data from which models learn. The consortium frames this emerging challenge as a “right to be learned”. 

 

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THE FUTURE OF CREATION DEPENDS ON THE FUTURE OF EDUCATION 

A Call from Leading Film and Moving Image Schools Around the World
to the Industry, Public Institutions and Governements 

Lumière Summit — Saint-Paul-de-Vence, 7 September 2026  

Cinema does not simply reflect the world. It helps us imagine it. Films, series, documentaries and other moving image works shape how societies remember, how cultures encounter one another, and how generations envision their future. They are essential to the cultural, economic and democratic vitality of our societies. 

The creators we educate today will tell the stories of tomorrow. Artificial intelligence, increasingly accessible creative resources, new production methods and rapidly changing professions are reshaping how stories are conceived, created and experienced. In this transformation we share one conviction: 

The Future of Creation Depends on the Future of Education. 

What can be achieved through stronger collaboration between education, industry and public institutions is considerable. This call is an invitation to build that future together. 

1. Technology is becoming easier to access. Talent is not 

Creative resources are becoming available to everyone, and access to them does not produce meaningful stories. Artistic vision, storytelling, critical thinking, cultural knowledge, judgment and collaboration require time, mentorship and practice. Talent does not grow by itself. Film and moving image schools create the environments in which it can: places to experiment, fail, learn, collaborate and discover new voices. When technology can generate more and more content, the ability to decide what is worth creating, why it matters and how it should be told becomes the decisive capacity. We should invest not only in artificial intelligence but equally in human intelligence. 

2. The industry should not only recruit talent. It must develop talent 

Education cannot carry this responsibility alone. Producers, studios, broadcasters, platforms, technology companies and public institutions all depend on the talent that education develops. Shaping the future of the sector is a shared responsibility. Governments and public institutions must recognize film and moving image education as critical cultural infrastructure and provide the long-term conditions in which talent can grow. Investing in education is investing in the future creative capacity of the entire sector. 

3. Education sustains cultural diversity and narrative sovereignty 

New voices, new perspectives and new stories do not emerge automatically. Diversity means ensuring that a wider range of voices, experiences and perspectives can be developed, heard and shared. It requires support, opportunity and investment. 

4. Innovation must go hand in hand with responsibility 

Schools are already working with these technologies, experimenting with new resources and helping students understand both their potential and their limits. We welcome these possibilities. Responsible innovation means respecting creators and their rights, ensuring transparency in the use of creative works, protecting consent, and continuing to invest in original creation and talent development. Technology should strengthen the conditions that allow stories to emerge. 

OUR CALL 

We call on the industry, governments and public institutions to recognize film and moving image education institutions as strategic partners, and to invest in the next generation of creators and professionals. 

For the industry: 

• Treat schools as research and development partners 

• Build long-term partnerships with schools rather than one-off engagements 

• Seat artists and students in the rooms where decisions are made: advisory boards, product councils and standards bodies, at the stage when direction is still open 

• Provide resources for mentoring, knowledge transfer, research and skills development 

• Support equal access to education through scholarships 

For leading technology companies: 

• Provide students with free or affordable access to equipment, software, research and development funding, and fellowships 

• Disclose training data provenance and honor compensation, consent and credit 

• Put artists inside the development process: residencies embedded in engineering teams, artist review of tools before release, and fair compensation for that expertise 

For governments and public institutions: 

• Protect and promote cultural diversity, sovereignty and emerging voices 

• Continue investing in original creation and the cultural infrastructure that makes it possible 

• Safeguard, through regulation, responsible and transparent artificial intelligence practices that respect creators and their rights 

The future of this sector is a question of people, ideas, culture and imagination. It will be built together, by creators, educators, industry leaders and public institutions. If we want it to remain creative, diverse, independent and human, we must invest in the people who will create it. 

 

Adopted at Saint-Paul-de-Vence, 7 September 2026.  

Signatories : 

 

Prof. Dr. Andreas BAREISS, Artistic & Managing Director, Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg (Germany) 

Dr. Elizabeth M. DALEY, Dean & Professor, University of Southern California, School of Cinematic Arts (USA) 

Guillaume DUCHEMIN, Executive Director, La Fémis (France) 

Prof. Dr. Valérie MOATTI, Executive Director, GOBELINS Paris (France) 

Dr. Celine Parreñas SHIMIZU, Dean & Distinguished Professor, University of California, Los Angeles, School of Theater, Film and Television (USA)