Leading international filmmakers, including Richard Linklater, Rebecca Zlotowski, Jafar Panahi, Jane Campion, Pedro Almodóvar, Wim Wenders, Tarik Saleh, and Jia Zhang-ke, have endorsed the International Resilience Initiative for Independent Screens (IRIS). The program was unveiled on Monday during the Lumiere Summit in Saint Paul de Vence, France, as part of a broader strategy to reinforce the global independent cinema sector.
According to materials distributed at the Fondation Maeght, IRIS aims to protect and connect the cinemas, distributors, and nonprofit networks that enable film diversity. The initiative seeks to advance the worldwide circulation of independent films, particularly in regions where local stakeholders face isolation or threats. French President Emmanuel Macron and the national film body, CNC, have championed this “multilateralism” approach to address what they view as an urgent imbalance in the industry.
The summit highlighted a critical distinction in the film ecosystem: while production can often relocate, independent distribution and exhibition rely on institutions rooted in specific communities. Despite audiences rediscovering independent film, these locally rooted sectors receive significantly less national and international support than production. IRIS is designed to fill this gap by combining funding, expertise, and advocacy through the first international mechanism dedicated to independent cinema circulation.
A key objective of IRIS is to forge stronger links between filmmakers, nonprofit organizations, state commissions, and private investors. An international council featuring figures such as Agnieszka Holland, Costa-Gavras, Jim Jarmusch, Tilda Swinton, Juliette Binoche, Vicky Krieps, Ira Sachs, Ruben Östlund, Kaouther Ben Hania, and Thomas Vinterberg will oversee the effort. The council is tasked with rapidly intervening when independent cinemas or distributors are at risk, providing emergency funding and international backing.
Film education is also central to the initiative’s mission, with a focus on bringing new generations into theaters and exposing them to diverse genres to build future audiences. Additionally, the summit introduced the Lumiere Alliance, a framework for global film commissions open to any national agency or public body dedicated to promoting cinema. The Alliance plans to hold two gatherings annually, one during the Cannes Film Festival and another in a rotating host country.
Macron is scheduled to host a follow-up gathering in New York on September 22 to further discuss the IRIS plan and encourage countries to pledge support for the initiative.
Love seeing Linklater and Panahi back this. Let’s hope the council acts fast when cinemas face actual threats.
A great step for cinephiles, but will real funding follow the lofty rhetoric? Independent theaters are already struggling to survive.