Scripted-focused deal struck at high-profile Lumière Summit in France
French giant Mediawan and South Korean production group SLL have struck a development and co-production pact at the inaugural Lumière Summit in France.
The high-profile one-day event was attended by senior execs ranging from Netflix’s Ted Sarandos and Disney Entertainment chief Dana Walden to French president Emmanuel Macron and his South Korean counterpart Lee Jae Myung.
Its aim was to find solutions for the screen sector amid disruptions from AI, streaming and the creator economy, and was predominantly focused on film.
However, the event also hosted the publication and signing of the Lumière Declaration by key participants, setting out “principles for a new multilateralism for film and the moving image.” (Scroll down for full text of Declaration).
Mediawan and SLL also unveiled their deal at the event in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, allowing the two companies to explore each other’s scripted catalogues to identify titles with strong remake potential in Europe and Korea.
The companies said they would also target co-productions that pair their creative and production resources with their respective regional networks.
The deal covers both original and existing IP, with an aim to develop stories rooted in Korean and European cultures that can travel across markets.
Scripted series will be the main focus but opportunities in unscripted, documentary and animation will also be explored.
SLL chief exec, Joonsuh Park, described the deal with Mediawan as a “starting point” to its future collaborations.
“We want to find new possibilities in the content both companies already hold and to build globally competitive IP that brings Korean and European creative talent together,” Park said.
Pierre-Antoine Capton, co-founder and chief exec of Mediawan, pointed to shows from his group such as Call My Agent!, Adolescence and Slow Horses as proof that viewers “respond to stories with a strong identity, local roots and universal emotional resonance.”
He continued: “Korean series have become a powerful global cultural force, while Mediawan has built an international platform for talent and storytelling. Through this partnership with SLL, we are delighted to put the strength of our network at the service of new creative collaborations between Korea and Europe.”
SLL works from development and production to financing and global distribution, and is backed by a dozen production labels that work across scripted and unscripted content. Output ranges from Reborn Rich and Doctor Cha, to Culinary Class Wars, Roundup, and The Summer I Turned Pretty.
Spotlight on Lumière Summit
The high-profile Lumière Summit was organised by French cinema body the CNC, and held at the modern art museum Fondation Maeght amid tight security.
French president Macron said he wanted the summit to mark the start of a new era of co-operation in the global industry, with a raft of initiatives being announced including the launch of the International Resilience Initiative for Independent Screens (IRIS), designed to support independent cinemas, distributors and networks to help films circulate the world.
It is backed by €1m in funding so far from the French culture and foreign ministries, and is looking to raise in €30m from international partners.
The summit also saw the launch of the Lumière Alliance, billed as the first global network bringing together public institutions responsible for film and audiovisual policy.
Some 54 national film agencies have joined the network so far, which is being set up to exchange information, develop joint initiatives and co-ordinate positions on international issues. Its members will meet annually in Cannes, as well as at an annual congress hosted by a member state.
Also launching is the Lumière Partnership, which will see France and Korea jointly invest €1bn in the film and audiovisual sector. France will invest €500m through Bpifrance between 2027 and 2031.
Summit organisers said the Lumière Partnership is open to other states, and aims to support the growth of companies in the sector and to promote ”the principles adopted in Saint-Paul-de-Vence: the primacy of human creativity, respect for copyright and cultural diversity.”
The summit is also launching Audiovisual Next Gen, an international programme led by the CNC in partnership with Netflix, RTL Group and Mediawan.
Aimed at 20 professionals under the age of 35 from across the creative industries, the programme will offer an 18-month mentoring programme. The first cohort, which will be announced in January 2027, will consist exclusively of women. The summit said this was to promote greater representation of women at the highest levels of responsibility.
Among the 200 high-profile executives attending the summit are Disney Entertainment chairman Alan Bergman, NBCUniversal Entertainment chairman Donna Langley, HBO chairman Casey Bloys, Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group chairman Tom Rothman and CAA CEO Bryan Lourd.
International representatives include Canal+ Group chief exec Maxime Saada, CJ ENM topper Yoon Sang-hyun, Pathé president Ardavan Safaee and Mediawan co-founder Capton.
Speaking to Broadcast International sister site Screen, attendees said they were very impressed by the calibre of guests that had been convened for the event, likening it to a major international summit usually reserved for topics such as finance or climate change.
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