Croatia's Game of Thrones filming sites face threat from Trump tariffs
US President Donald Trump said he will impose a 100 per cent tariff on all movies produced outside the US. PHOTO: REUTERS
- The fortresses and cobbled streets of the ancient Croatian town of Dubrovnik are often crowded with tourists eager to visit the locations from the Game Of Thrones television series, or the Star Wars: The Last Jedi film.
But comments by US President Donald Trump in May that he will impose a 100 per cent tariff on all movies produced outside the US have alarmed the entertainment industry and some locals in Dubrovnik who fear directors may no longer film there.
'There have been huge disruptions because of the tariffs that Trump plans to introduce,' said Croatian film producer Igor Aleksandar Nola, adding that budgets had already been hit by global economic upheaval.
'Part of the financing coming from banks and investment funds for audio-visual arts has been on standby because of the uncertainty,' M r Nola told Reuters.
Central European countries and the Balkans have been used by Hollywood for years for their dramatic scenery, mix of architectural styles and cheaper filming costs. If a movie or series is a hit those locations can become hugely popular with visitors.
'The film and Game Of Thrones have changed Dubrovnik for sure,' said tourist guide Ivan Vukovic. About 1,000 tourists join a Game Of Thrones tour every day, he said.
New souvenir shops were opened and jobs created for tourist guides and locals assisting in film productions out of season.
'All of this created a big economic boom,' M r Vukovic said.
Mr Trump did not provide details about the timing of tariffs, leaving executives wondering how they could be applied to the film industry.
Participants at the Cannes Film Festival, which opened on M ay 13 , continued a cautious business-as-usual approach after the initial shock by the tariff announcement.
Mr Mat e Frankovic, the mayor of Dubrovnik, which receives about 1.4 million tourists a year, said he did not expect the crisis to last long or seriously affect film productions and tourism in Dubrovnik.
'I honestly cannot imagine a single serious US film and large production without including a major European city,' he said. REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNA
an hour ago
- CNA
Mexico seen renewing its approval for Nippon Steel-US Steel tie-up Thursday, sources say
WASHINGTON/MEXICO CITY : Mexico's antitrust watchdog is expected to renew its approval of Nippon Steel's fraught $14.9-billion bid for U.S. Steel as soon as Thursday, according to three people familiar with the matter, removing one of the last remaining hurdles to the tie-up. Cofece, as the regulator is known, gave the merger a green light previously, the people said, declining to be named as the matter was not public. Mexican approval of the proposed acquisition, first announced in December 2023, has since expired and must be renewed for the merger to proceed. Cofece did not immediately respond to requests for comment. U.S. Steel and Nippon Steel declined to comment. The news, which has not been previously reported, comes as investors wait anxiously for President Donald Trump to give final approval of an agreement to assuage any U.S. national security concerns. Trump technically has until Thursday to sign it. The tie-up faced obstacles from the start, with both former President Joe Biden and Trump asserting last year that U.S. Steel should remain U.S.-owned, as they sought to woo voters ahead of the presidential election in Pennsylvania, where the company is headquartered. Biden blocked the deal in January on national security grounds, prompting lawsuits by the companies, which argued the national security review they received was biased. The Biden White House disputed the charge. The steel companies saw a new opportunity in the Trump administration, which began on January 20 and opened a fresh 45-day national security review into the proposed merger in April. But Trump's public comments, ranging from welcoming a simple "investment" in U.S. Steel by the Japanese firm to floating a minority stake for Nippon Steel, spurred confusion. On Friday, at a rally in Pennsylvania, Trump lauded an agreement between the companies and said Nippon Steel would make a "great partner" for U.S. Steel. But he later told reporters the deal still lacked his final approval, leaving unresolved whether he would allow Nippon Steel to take ownership.
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Relentless Sinner breezes past Bublik to book semi-final spot
PARIS - World number one Jannik Sinner continued his relentless pursuit of a maiden French Open title with a typically efficient 6-1 7-5 6-0 win over Kazakh showman Alexander Bublik on Wednesday to reach the semi-finals. The near-flawless victory ensured Sinner became the first Italian man to make six Grand Slam semi-finals and extended his winning run at the majors to 19 matches after his triumphs at last year's U.S. Open and the Australian Open in January. "I'm very happy with how I've arrived in the semi-finals. The semi-finals in Grand Slams are very special, I'm looking forward to it," Sinner said. The retraction of Court Philippe Chatrier's roof after a cold, rainy morning signalled the opening of the floodgates as Sinner raced into a 5-0 lead before Bublik got on the board and immediately threatened to break the top seed. Sinner snuffed out his challenge to win the first set with ease but the 23-year-old ran into trouble in the next set when Bublik pulled out trademark drop shots from his bag of tricks and worked his opponent harder to stay level after 10 games. "We've played each other a couple of times already, so we already knew what to expect a little bit. But, in other aspects, you never know how he is going to play," Sinner added. "I feel like he deserved to be in this quarter-final ... I tried to focus on my side of the court. I was trying to play as solid as possible because he can have some ups and downs, so I just needed to stay consistent throughout the whole match." Bublik's untimely dip allowed Sinner to pounce and the three-times Grand Slam champion broke before holding comfortably to stop the brave comeback of his 62nd-ranked opponent and double his advantage in the match. The one-way traffic resumed in the third set, where Bublik hit a failed underarm serve while trying to avoid going a double break down, before Sinner tightened his grip to book a clash with Alexander Zverev or Novak Djokovic. "We'll watch a little bit of it for sure," Sinner said. "As always, I'll also try to switch my brain off because Grand Slams are always mentally tough. We all hope for a high-quality match, that's what is important and what the fans want." REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Trump says he spoke to Putin about Ukraine drone attacks, Iran
US President Donald Trump (left) had a phone conversation with Russian leader Vladimir Putin on June 4. PHOTO: AFP Trump says he spoke to Putin about Ukraine drone attacks, Iran WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump said on June 4 that he discussed the recent drone attacks by Ukraine on Russia and developments concerning Iran in a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin. During the conversation, Mr Putin told Mr Trump that Russia will have to respond to the Ukrainian drone attacks, the US president said. "It was a good conversation, but not a conversation that will lead to immediate Peace," he said, in a Truth Social post. "I stated to President Putin that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon and, on this, I believe that we were in agreement." REUTERS US President Donald Trump said he had enjoyed a 'good conversation' with his Russian counterpart, but not one that would lead to immediate peace in Ukraine. SCREENSHOT: X Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
