At the invitation of Emmanuel Macron, Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg is setting out its position at the Lumière Summit in Saint-Paul de Vence
Ludwigsburg / Saint-Paul de Vence, 10 September 2026 – The future of film and media depends not primarily on technological innovation, but on the people who shape it. This is the central message of a joint declaration by leading film and media universities from Europe and the USA, entitled “The Future of Creation Depends on the Future of Education”.
Among the signatories is Professor Dr Andreas Bareiß, Artistic and Managing Director of Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg (FABW). The declaration was drawn up as part of the “Lumière Summit”, which took place on 6 and 7 September in Saint-Paul de Vence, France, at the invitation and on the initiative of the French President Emmanuel Macron and the South Korean President Lee Jae-myung. The summit brought together high-ranking representatives from industry, politics, society and education to develop positions on the future of film and media in the age of artificial intelligence.
In their joint appeal, the renowned film schools from France, Germany and the USA call on industry, politics and public institutions to recognise film and media education as strategic cultural infrastructure and to invest in the next generation of film and media professionals in the long term. Particularly in the face of artificial intelligence, new production methods and changing job profiles, critical thinking, cultural knowledge and human judgement are crucial.
Professor Dr Andreas Bareiß: “The easier access to powerful technologies becomes, the more crucial the ability to use them to create something relevant becomes. Our task is therefore not only to familiarise young people with new technologies and their possibilities; above all, we must train them to decide what content should be told or reported, how it should be presented, and why it is relevant. That is why we must invest not only in artificial intelligence, but above all in human intelligence. Otherwise, machines – and those who control them – will ultimately determine how we understand the world, our society and ourselves. What we need is human, artistic and narrative sovereignty – at European, national and individual levels.”
The film schools’ declaration calls, amongst other things, for long-term partnerships between higher education institutions and industry, joint research and development projects, and greater involvement of artists and students in technological development processes. At the same time, it calls for the responsible use of AI, ensuring copyright protection, transparency and the creation of original creative works, as well as fair remuneration for those who create them.
The appeal was signed by the heads of the renowned film schools La Fémis and GOBELINS (both in Paris, France), the University of California (UCLA) and the University of Southern California (USC, both in Los Angeles, USA), as well as Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg (Ludwigsburg, Germany).