French President Emmanuel Macron made a rare appearance at Cannes Lions on Friday, addressing the festival by video as France was named the “2026 Creative Country of the Year.”
The honor, announced during the closing awards show of the 73rd Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, recognizes an individual country’s sustained commitment to creativity as a driver of progress and growth. For France, the recognition lands at a moment when the country is aggressively positioning its creative industries, technology sector, and cultural influence as part of a broader economic strategy.
“I’d like to thank all the members of this great festival that brings global creativity to life,” Macron said in his video address. “This award celebrates our French creativity today, and French creativity is our ability to combine formal, regal, and poetic, even irreverent, perspectives.”
Macron described creativity as central to France’s national identity, connecting the country’s fashion, luxury, culture, cinema, video games, and digital industries. He also framed the award as a reflection of France’s growing attractiveness to global talent, businesses, and investors.
“French creativity is a national philosophy that flows through our fashion, as much as our luxury and our culture industry,” Macron said. “From the Olympics to its video game industry, France attracts talent. And from Cannes to Dunkerque, France attracts industries and capital.”
The president pointed to what he called “deliberate efforts” to strengthen the country’s position, including labor reforms, major investments in innovation, and efforts to simplify regulations. He said those moves are designed to “free up time for creativity” and help make France a more competitive home for creative businesses.
Macron noted that France has been ranked the most attractive country in Europe for foreign investment for the seventh consecutive year. He also referenced recent financial boosts to the country’s creative and technology sectors, including the France 2030 project, which included a €350 million government investment to increase film production in France. The annual Choose France summit, held earlier this month, also brought pledges totaling €93 billion in foreign investment, particularly in AI and data projects.
“France is a country where your next studio, your next European headquarters, your next creative project should be established,” Macron said.
The award was also celebrated by leaders of the AACC, the Association of Creative and Consulting Agencies, who framed the honor as a milestone for the entire French creative ecosystem. Watch the video below:
“For the first time in its history, the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity has named France Creative Country of the Year,” said David Leclabart, President of AUSTRALIEGAD and Co President of the AACC. “This distinction recognizes more than a decade of creative excellence and celebrates France as one of the world’s leading creative nations. The French touch is a universal language.”
Leclabart pointed to France’s influence across luxury, cinema, advertising, design and the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, saying the country has shown that creativity can bring people together while attracting international attention and investment.
Tiphaine du Plessis, President of BETC FULLSIX and Co-President of the AACC, called creativity one of France’s greatest strategic assets, describing it as a force that extends far beyond advertising. “Creativity is not only an expression of culture, but it is also a driver of innovation, competitiveness, and soft power,” du Plessis said. “Creativity is business. Creativity is change.”
She added that France’s creative industries are helping shape the future by combining technological innovation with human creativity, strategic thinking, and cultural vision, particularly as AI continues to transform the industry.
Macron closed his remarks by inviting Cannes Lions attendees to the upcoming Lumiere Summit, an international gathering dedicated to cinema, series, and video games. Co-chaired by France and South Korea, the summit is set for Sept. 7 at the Fondation Maeght in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, France.
The event, Macron said, will offer another opportunity to celebrate French creativity alongside South Korea’s own creative industries.
“You will see, beyond what you already recognized and celebrated through this award, that we can go further and be even more creative,” Macron said. “Long live creativity, long live the Republic, and long live France.”
All Cannes Lions shortlists and winners can be found here.
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