Emmanuel Macron called for global initiatives to protect the future of cinema and he sounded the alarm about the threats to artistic expression posed by the endless scroll of social media platforms during his opening speech at the Lumiere Summit on Monday.

The French president delivered heartfelt remarks that stressed the urgency of the need for action by a coalition of nations to ensure the viability of film.

“Movies and moving image undergoing radical changes that nobody can ignore,” Macron told the crowd gathered at the Fondation Maeght art museum in Saint Paul de Vence.

Macron stressed the importance of the many initiatives unveiled at the summit is nothing less than the preservation of culture and heritage for countries throughout the world.

“Our identities are stories,” Macron said, according to a translator. “It’s our ability to write stories who tell who we, are explain who we are, thrill people from different backgrounds.”

Macron was most animated when he outlined what he sees as the dangers of people consuming so many images that are designed to provoke an instant reaction — and the emotional rush of users clicking a “like” button or some equivalent affirmation from users.

Macron called it “the paradox of our environment. We’ve never watched more images. But we’re running the risk of not seeing anything,” he said. There’s a risk “that this constant flow will digest everything, gobble everything up capturing our attention.”

This is a challenge to artists and filmmakers because “it’s upturning creativity, the ability to find an audience and to think,” Macron said. He nodded to the buzz around the creator economy by stating flatly, “Our attention is an economic resource.”

Macron is co-chairing the daylong Lumiere Summit with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, who also spoke at the opening session. Lee Jae Myung reiterated Macron’s points about the importance of carefully shoring up film for the future. He touted the importance of the trade agreement unveiled Monday between France and Korea that calls for the countries to invest more than $1 billion in beefing up production and animation capabilities.

“Independent cinema is important for the future, Lee Jae Myung said. “It will be the guarantee of its sustainable growth and the source of new imagination

“a robust springboard for the access of local content to global streaming platforms.

More to come