- Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump proposed that movies from outside of the US be hit with a 100 percent tariff.
- The Directors Guild of South Africa says this poses a “significant and worrying threat to international creative exchange”.
- The guild is working on research to highlight the value of the local film sector.
Earlier this month, President Donald Trump signalled that Hollywood was dying and that he, along with tariffs on foreign films, would save it.
The US president instructed the Department of Commerce, and the United States Trade Representative to start formulating a plan to impose a tariff on “any and all Movies coming into our Country that are produced in Foreign Lands”. To date, there has been no further news in this regard.
But the utterances of Trump tend to have a marked effect in the real world and filmmakers around the world, and even here in South Africa are very concerned.
“The proposed tariffs pose a significant and worrying threat to international creative exchange,” explains executive committee member at the Director’s Guild of South Africa (DGSA) Andile Sinqoto. “It underscores how vulnerable we are to geopolitical shifts – especially in the absence of strong domestic policy safeguards that protect and promote our local film sector.”
Imposing a tariff on foreign films would have an incredibly damaging effect on economies that have, up until now, enjoyed investment from the deep-pocketed executives and studios in the United States.
By discouraging film production outside of the US, investors may be hesitant to support filmmakers outside of the US, there would be fewer productions happening and ultimately, fewer jobs.
That’s not to mention that projects such as Money Heist, Squid Game, and Blood & Water may not ever have been produced had these tariffs existed back then.
What’s more is that if a US film is produced outside of the US, the way Trump phrased his statement, filmmakers may be tariffed for leaving the country to get the shot they want. Trump’s intentions aren’t especially clear given his declaration came via Truth Social. If that is the case, film lots and soundstages around the world would be impacted by these tariffs as it would mean the fruitful pockets of Hollywood would disappear.
Beyond that, foreign entities often collaborate with US filmmakers. Take Weta Workshop for instance. This company based in New Zealand has created special effects for more films than we can mention. Under Trump’s policy it may be the case that Weta no longer has the steady stream of work it has enjoyed over the years.
“When key incentives are stuck in bureaucratic bottlenecks and payment delays plague productions, we become a high-risk territory. These proposed tariffs could further diminish our visibility and market value in one of the world’s most influential film markets,” says Sinqoto.
The committee member says that despite South Africa’s wealth of talent, without funding, the structure surrounding the film scene will collapse.
In a bid to get ahead of any policy changes, DGSA has started work on a research partnership that will quantify the role and impact South Africa has in terms of employment, export value and sustainable careers in the film industry.
“This isn’t just about trade; it’s about access, dignity and representation. South African cinema has a powerful voice that deserves to be heard globally. Without urgent structural reform at home and continued openness abroad, that voice risks being silenced or sidelined,” says Sinqoto.
While it’s not clear if Trump’s tariff on foreign films will happen, or even how it will happen, his statement has clearly put filmmakers around the world on edge.
