Trump film tariffs may cause 'fear and unrest'
US President Donald Trump has threatened to apply a 100% charge against movies made in foreign countries, as he ramps up trade disputes with global nations.
Filmmakers who attended the Cine International Film Festival in Soho this week have spoken of their concerns.
Actor Tamer Hassan said: "It's going to cause unrest and fear, especially within investors, that's our biggest hurdle."
On Monday 5 May, the US president announced that he was authorising the commerce department to start the process to impose the levy because America's film industry was dying "a very fast death".
He appeared to soften his stance later that day, telling reporters at the White House he was going to "meet with the industry" to "make sure they're happy" with his proposal.
In response, the UK government said trade negotiations with Washington were ongoing and it was taking a "calm and steady approach" to talks in a bid to "ease pressure on UK businesses".
For years, filmmakers have been leaving Hollywood for destinations including the UK and Canada to lower costs.
Mr Hassan added: "We all have great ideas as creatives and the fundamental part of it is raising money and to bring money into the film industry is always difficult but, with Trump potentially hitting us with a tariff could make it more difficult."
Kirsty Bell, founder & CEO, Goldfinch Productions said: "The UK is seen as a brilliant place to film for a lot of different reasons.
"We have extreme talent here in every area of filmmaking and to deny those people the opportunity to work is soul destroying."
She added: "What Trump wants to do is to make America big again and wants to put 'Made in the USA' on all his products, but what he doesn't know is about the film industry - he does not actually know how our film industry works."
Ben Charles Edwards, the CEO of Dreamtown Entertainment said: "We have a plethora of studios up and down the UK, it is those sort of things the rest of the world will be looking at and if America remove themselves from the discussion, they're looking here.
"And I do think there is an opportunity for London and the UK to take from this potential situation."
The UK film sector is worth £1.36bn and employs more than 195,000 people, the government said in October.
The UK is continuing to negotiate on the film industry, following conversations between President Trump and Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Friday.
Much of the detail of the new tariff has yet to be confirmed.
Commenting on President Trump's announcement on Monday, the UK government's Culture Media and Sport Committee chair Dame Caroline Dinenage MP said: "Last month the Culture, Media and Sport Committee warned against complacency on our status as the Hollywood of Europe. President Trump's announcement has made that warning all too real.
"Making it more difficult to make films in the UK is not in the interests of American businesses. Their investment in facilities and talent in the UK, based on US-owned IP, is showing fantastic returns on both sides of the Atlantic. Ministers must urgently prioritise this as part of the trade negotiations currently under way."
Head of media and entertainment trade union Bectu in the UK, Philippa Childs, said: "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."
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey asked in the Commons on Wednesday: "Will the prime minister work with our allies in Europe and in the Commonwealth and make clear to President Trump that if he picks a fight with James Bond, Bridget Jones and Paddington Bear, he will lose?"
Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to hello.bbclondon@bbc.co.uk
What impact might Trump's Hollywood tariffs plan have?
Trump considering 100% tariffs on movies not made in the US
Trump film tariffs to be part of UK-US trade talks
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
7 minutes ago
- Yahoo
The number of unsold homes in the U.S. hits a record high — is that good news for buyers?
There's nearly $700 billion in unsold homes sitting on the market nationwide, according to Redfin. That's a 20.3% jump from a year ago and, at $698 billion, likely adds up to the highest dollar amount ever, the Seattle-based online brokerage said, citing an analysis of the value of listings on from 2012 through April of this year. And $330 billion of the unsold properties — 2 out of every 5 — are considered 'stale inventory' because they've been on the market for at least 60 days. At 44%, that number is up from 42.1% a year earlier, and the highest for April since the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020. So what's behind the big numbers? Here's what Redfin says: More sellers than buyers. Just two years ago, buyers outnumbered sellers but another recent Redfin analysis estimated there are nearly 500,000 more now, 1.9 million compared to 1.5 million. That 33.7% difference is up from 6.5% more sellers than buyers a year ago. Taking longer to sell. It took 40 days for a typical home to go under contract in April, compared to 35 days a year ago. During the pandemic buying boom, when mortgage rates were still at record lows, it took an average of just 24 days to seal the deal. Demand down. Polls show buyers are hesitating to make big purchases, due to the economic uncertainty surrounding President Donald Trump's policies, including ever-changing tariffs. Monthly mortgage payments have also reached record highs. Prices up. In April, the median U.S. sale price for a home was up year over year. But the total value of the current inventory climbed much more, 20.3%, indicating the increase in the number of listings 'is a bigger factor.' Denver real estate agent Matt Purdy said on the Redfin site that he spotted the trend earlier this year, at the beginning of the critical spring housing market that's supposed to be the busiest time for sales. 'A huge pop of listings hit the market at the start of spring, and there weren't enough buyers to go around,' Purdy said 'House hunters are only buying if they absolutely have to, and even serious buyers are backing out of contracts more than they used to.' But he suggested there's a silver lining in the shifting market: 'Buyers have a window to get a deal; there's still a surplus of inventory on the market, with sellers facing reality and willing to negotiate prices down.' Redfin's head of economic research, Chen Zhao, also said buyers may benefit. 'Not only are there more homes for sale than there have been in five years, but the value of those homes is higher than it has ever been,' Zhao said. 'We expect rising inventory, weakened demand, and the prevalence of stale supply to push home prices down 1% by the end of this year, which should improve affordability for buyers because incomes are still going up.'
Washington Post
10 minutes ago
- Washington Post
McCarthy, Vikings value Jefferson's presence and leadership in offseason practices
EAGAN, Minn. — The Minnesota Vikings urged Justin Jefferson to fully participate in their offseason program, a commitment some established NFL stars aren't willing to make each spring. The sixth-year wide receiver was already a step ahead of the coaching staff. This is a critical offseason for Jefferson and the Vikings, breaking in a new quarterback in J.J. McCarthy , so he was planning to make his attendance a priority. 'It's definitely important to gain a little bit of a sight of what the new year is coming to look like, to build that connection with my teammates and especially with my quarterback,' Jefferson said after practice on Monday. 'It's definitely great to be out here early to kind of get into the feel.' These late spring practices, known in league parlance as organized team activities, are when the basic installation of the playbook begins, even though only the three-day minicamp next week is contractually mandated. It's also a prime opportunity to build that rhythm and trust between the quarterback and his receivers. 'He's a tremendous talent, tremendous leader, but his leadership really shows up when he's here,' said McCarthy, who accompanied Jefferson to a Timberwolves playoff game last month when they sat together in courtside seats. 'Just being able to get that chemistry building on and off the field has been invaluable.' Jefferson, whose 7,432 receiving yards are the most in league history through a player's first five seasons, said he doesn't concern himself with the style or tendencies of who's throwing. 'As long as the ball gets close to my face, I'm going to try to catch it,' he said. 'It doesn't matter how fast the ball is going, the spin of it or if it's coming from a lefty or a righty. My job is to catch the ball.' What's most important to Jefferson is the quarterback learning to adjust to his route-running preferences, with an exceptional stride length and side-to-side agility that helps set him apart. 'It's that timing, those reps,' McCarthy said. 'All of that has to be built up over time.' Which is why Jefferson being around all the time is so valuable. 'He's an energy igniter of the whole building, and I think he's come back with a purpose and a mindset,' coach Kevin O'Connell said. 'You hear his voice, you hear his interaction with teammates, and they just carry such a long way.' Not just for the quarterback. 'The guys in that locker room know, 'If this guy, one of the best in the world at what he does, is pushing himself in May and June, I sure as heck better be doing the same thing,'' O'Connell said. McCarthy, whose rookie season was spent entirely in the training room recovering from knee surgery, at least had some meaningful time in strategy meetings that helped him start to build the knowledge base in the offense even if he wasn't taking snaps on the field. 'I've been really surprised by some of the things that he does know. You're like, 'Man, we covered that in a 10-minute burst in Week 11 last year. How do you remember that?'' O'Connell said. 'And then there's some other things where you're like, 'Oh, I assumed he knew that.' So it's our job — baseline teaching and stacking days and layered learning so that we're constantly making him feel like he's growing but never comfortable.' Jefferson can see that too. 'He definitely has an arm, that's for sure. He can definitely zip it whenever he needs to,' he said, before recounting his advice to McCarthy at this stage of the offseason. 'Just let everything happen. Don't try to make the best play every single play.' ___ AP NFL:
Washington Post
10 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Where's Marty McFly's guitar? Search is on for 'Back to the Future' prop 4 decades later
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Marty McFly grabbed a guitar in 'Back to the Future' and rocked out with the band at a 1950s high school dance, helping him narrowly avoid blinking out of existence before time-traveling back to the 1980s. The guitar, in real life, wasn't as lucky. Filmmakers went looking for the instrument while making the movie's 1989 sequel, but even now it's nowhere to be found. Four decades after the blockbuster film debuted, the guitar's creator has launched a search for the iconic Cherry Red Gibson ES-345.
