French government push to boost independent film exhibition wins backing from top filmmakers
Some of cinema’s heavyweights just threw their weight behind a French government push to bolster independent cinema—and the roster is as stacked as you’d hope.
Richard Linklater, Jane Campion, Pedro Almodóvar and other top directors have signed onto a new French-backed program — IRIS, the International Resilience Initiative for Independent Screens — unveiled Monday at the Lumière Summit in France. The effort is squarely aimed at keeping independently financed films in theaters and moving across borders.
Materials shared at the summit describe IRIS as a plan to protect, strengthen and connect the indie ecosystem — theaters, distributors and nonprofit networks — and to help circulate independent films globally, especially in places where local players are isolated, vulnerable or under threat.
Who’s on board
Filmmakers who agreed to participate in IRIS include:
- Richard Linklater
- Rebecca Zlotowski
- Jafar Panahi
- Jane Campion
- Pedro Almodóvar
- Wim Wenders
- Tarik Saleh
- Jia Zhang-ke
A separate worldwide council tied to the initiative will feature:
- Agnieszka Holland
- Costa-Gavras
- Jim Jarmusch
- Tilda Swinton
- Juliette Binoche
- Vicky Krieps
- Ira Sachs
- Ruben Östlund
- Kaouther Ben Hania
- Thomas Vinterberg
What France is building
IRIS arrives as part of a broader French push to rally partners around the future of cinema. Alongside the program, France is proposing a “Lumière Alliance” linking international film commissions — an effort backed in recent weeks by President Emmanuel Macron and the national film body CNC.
France expects other countries to pledge support. A central goal is to tighten ties between filmmakers and the nonprofits, government commissions and private investors that underwrite independent film financing.
Macron will host a meeting in New York on September 22 to discuss IRIS.