"The film industry in America IS DYING a very rapid death", writes Donald Trump on his social media platform Truth Social. To stop this, he gives the American Department of Commerce the task of "immediately" beginning to work for a 100 percent tariff on all films produced abroad.
Firstly, the American film industry is not dying, it's enough to look at the streaming services – that's film too, says Eva Hamilton.
USA becoming "a Skansen"
She sees tariffs as an effective way to "cocoon one's country" from all cultural, human and political influences from outside.
It's a way to create "a Skansen" of the USA, which he is on his way to doing in other areas as well. If one raises this type of nationalist barriers, it will have very large consequences also for how people think, learn and open up to other impulses in the world, says she.
Furthermore, the American film industry needs to shoot their films in other countries, emphasizes Eva Hamilton, who guesses that the protests from the industry will be "enormous".
Collaborations
Trump's administration "seems to have missed the fact that 70 percent of their cinema revenue comes from the rest of the world, and that most things today are about collaborations – economic as well as creative" emphasizes Anna Croneman, CEO of the Film Institute, in an email to TT.
Film production in Hollywood has decreased, writes among others The Guardian, and Donald Trump's first measure was to appoint veterans Mel Gibson, Sylvester Stallone, and Jon Voight (combined age 233, notes The Guardian) as special ambassadors to rescue American film.
Big films like "Deadpool & Wolverine", "Wicked", and "Gladiator II" were all shot abroad, writes BBC. Even a large part of the streaming services' series and films are made in countries like South Korea, India, Hungary, and Nigeria, acknowledges Eva Hamilton. Parallel to this, an AI revolution is underway in the industry.
To say that Hollywood hasn't kept up has he right in, but to stop all foreign knowledge sounds like shooting oneself in the foot, says she.
