On 5 May, US President Donald Trump threatened to apply a 100% tariff on all films made outside the United States. “The Movie Industry in America is dying a very fast death” he commented on his social media platform, Truth Social, adding that: “Countries are offering all sorts of incentives to draw our filmmakers and studios away from the United States. Hollywood, and many other areas within the USA, are being devastated”. Trump went on to call the issue “a National Security threat” and ended his announcement (in caps lock): “We want movies made in America, again!”

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Among the worldwide reactions caused by the announcement, the news received a very quick response from the UK. The two countries notoriously share a history of co-productions, and over the years, the UK has offered tax incentives to shoot films, which has represented a catalyst for international productions, most of which come from the USA.

Trump’s declaration has also sparked confusion as to what exactly it takes for a film to be “non-American”. Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Timothy Richards, founder of European cinema chain Vue, raised a question: "Is it where the money comes from? The script, the director, the talent, where it was shot?" It remains unclear whether certain exceptions will be applied and on what basis, as White House spokesman Kush Desai confirmed on Monday, no final decisions on foreign film tariffs have yet been made, although: “The administration is exploring all options to deliver on President Trump's directive to safeguard our country's national and economic security while Making Hollywood Great Again."

In response to the announcement, Adrian Wootton OBE, Chief Executive of the British Film Commission, said: “While this announcement is clearly concerning, we need to understand the detail surrounding the proposed tariffs. We will be meeting with the Government and our industry policy group in the coming days to discuss further. The UK and US have long enjoyed a strong, shared history of film-making, recently celebrating 100 years of creative collaboration and production. We look forward to continuing that for years to come, to our mutual benefit.”

Finally, Philippa Childs, Head of media and entertainment trade union Bectu in the UK, commented in a statement: "These tariffs, coming after Covid and the recent slowdown, could deal a knock-out blow to an industry that is only just recovering and will be really worrying news for tens of thousands of skilled freelancers who make films in the UK."