NICE, France — President Lee Jae-myung, on a state visit to France, proposed on the 7th that the government create and invest in a fund to nurture independent films and pure art, at a meeting with South Korean filmmakers.
Lee attended a roundtable with filmmakers and an official luncheon following the Lumiere Summit, an international film and video summit held in Saint-Paul-de-Vence in southern France. The roundtable was attended by director Lee Chang-dong, who made "Peppermint Candy" and "Oasis," director July Jung, who made "Dora" and "Next Sohee," and actors Sol Kyung-gu and Jeon Do-yeon.
The roundtable, arranged to hear from those working in the domestic film and video industry, took up the future of independent film as its main agenda. "The film industry raises the international competitiveness of Korean products and lifts the pride of our people, so it serves a very large public interest and delivers high returns relative to investment," Lee said. "Yet independent film and the pure arts have been left far behind, and many of the people working in those fields are struggling to make a living."
"From now on, you will see policies that you can feel, beyond what you have imagined," he said. He added that the private sector would cover commercially viable areas, but that the government needed to take on the rest in earnest. "For independent art and pure culture, which the market cannot cover, we must find material, train writers, support production and support distribution, and create a fund to invest alongside them so they can compete internationally. The government has to take this on in earnest," he said.
Lee also said the creative ecosystem underpinning the industry was weakening, in contrast to the industry's glittering exterior. He compared the situation to one in which "the grass and small trees below have all died and only a few large old trees remain," and stressed that "a sturdy ecosystem is needed for constant regeneration."
The director drew attention by raising France's SOFICA scheme in response to the president's proposal. "It gives tax benefits to individuals or private capital that invest in film," he said, adding that the benefits reach "up to 40 percent, nearly half or more." He continued: "That investment goes to independent films and to newcomers making films. By distributing it appropriately, France has been able to produce films of a diversity that is beyond comparison." After hearing the explanation, President Lee replied, "I will have it checked as soon as I return."
Lee then attended the official Lumiere Summit luncheon. The luncheon was attended by French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, along with about 200 people including culture ministers from various countries and officials from international organizations who attended the summit, heads of film and video companies and organizations, and directors and actors.
Kang Yu-jung, senior presidential spokesperson, said in a written briefing that Lee "paid tribute at the luncheon to all the participants working for the development of the film and video industry." Kang added that Lee "delivered a message calling for participants from diverse cultural backgrounds to work together and let the value of diversity bloom, brightening the future of the video industry."
