Co-chaired by Emmanuel Macron, President of the French Republic, and Lee Jae-myung, President of the Republic of Korea, the Lumière Summit convened State representatives, institutions, creators and industry leaders from the film, audiovisual, animation and gaming sectors.
The declarations* adopted establish several key guiding principles to address the ongoing technological, economic and cultural shifts. The commitment is to keep creative works and human creativity at the forefront, to support cultural diversity and creators' rights, encourage innovation and improve audiovisual education.
They also highlight an important factor: to be able to create a genuine lasting response to these shifts, all countries, institutions, creators and stakeholders in the sector must work together.
CITIA has decided to support the declarations adopted in Saint-Paul-de-Vence. They are in line with several priorities set out in its 2026–2029 institutional plan and reinforce initiatives already being implemented in Annecy, which will be rolled out and developed further from 2027 onwards.
Let's make Annecy the ideal pillar to build on this momentum
Every year, the Festival and the Mifa attract a significant portion of the global animation community to Annecy. With the opening of the Cité internationale du cinéma d’animation in June 2026, CITIA now has a permanent venue to keep this momentum going throughout the year.
This new facility enables CITIA to have an impact on both creative works and talent, as well as on the shifts occurring within the industry and on how audiences discover new ways to engage with stories. CITIA is eager to use its influence to support the process initiated in Saint-Paul-de-Vence and help transform it into tangible results within the animation sector.
Making young people and education of the moving image a priority
Young people and the transmission of knowledge are what lie at the very heart of CITIA's founding mission. The commitments set out in Saint-Paul-de-Vence lend particular resonance to this ambition by affirming education in cinema and visual media as a key issue for the 21st century.
In Annecy, CITIA has always fostered a continuum between learning about and understanding works and images, creative practice, meeting artists, training and discovering professions. The Cité internationale du cinéma d’animation now provides a permanent hub for this initiative, enabling audiences from a very young age to learn how to appreciate, understand and create images.
Keeping pace with the industry's changing landscape
The emergence of artificial intelligence, changing practices and evolving business models are all profoundly transforming the conditions under which works are being created, produced and distributed.
In 2027, the Mifa will continue the efforts already initiated in its official programme that address the issues arising from the industry’s evolution, particularly those relating to artificial intelligence – an aspiration further bolstered by the support received under the European MEDIA 360 programme.
It will also build on the work it has been involved in for several years forging cross-links between animation, cinema, the audiovisual sector, books, webtoons, gaming and new forms of media.
Raising the profile of animation within this new international landscape
The Lumière Summit has shared its vision for a new form of multilateralism in cinema and the moving image. CITIA intends to fully embrace this movement and help ensure that animation takes its rightful place within it.
Annecy offers a truly unique showcase, and each year, the Festival and Mifa draw together professionals and organisations from more than a hundred countries, each of whom brings their own distinct set of cultural, economic and industrial contexts.
CITIA is keen to use this diversity to build on the momentum in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, working together with the CNC and its global partners, to turn Annecy into a place where particular animation-related issues can always be discussed and addressed.
Europe naturally forms one of the foundations of this cooperative effort. Following its inaugural edition in June 2026, the Annecy European Animation Summit will be returning to the Mifa in 2027. It will further the dialogue between European institutions, public decision-makers and industry professionals on the key concerns facing European animation, including funding, competitiveness, cultural diversity, the circulation of works and talent, innovation and sovereignty.
Meanwhile, CITIA will continue promoting emerging talent and equality, in particular through the Mifa's initiatives and the forthcoming creation of a residency dedicated to female directors of animation feature films located at the Cité internationale du cinéma d’animation.
"The Lumière Summit has demonstrated that, confronted with the shifts we are currently experiencing, no single player or country can single-handedly construct the solutions. Restoring the capacity for dialogue and collective action at an international scale is, in my view, absolutely essential. Annecy is privileged to annually play host to a significant proportion of the global animation community. We aim to use this influence to support the momentum already underway in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, so that animation takes its rightful place there and to make a tangible contribution to its future development. CITIA is excited to play its part in the forthcoming evolution."
Mickaël Marin, CITIA CEO
*See the declarations:
