Trump's threat from 'foreign' film tariffs are subject to anxiety in Great Britain

President Trump's wish to make Hollywood great again by sending his preferred economic weapon – tariffs – a shower by the British film industry.

British producers, camera workers, costume designers and other film teams woke up on Monday with Mr. Trump's message that he wanted to impose 100 percent tariffs on films that were made in “foreign country”. This threat is particularly alarming in Great Britain, where Hollywood blockbusters are a critical part of the industry.

“It came completely out of the blue,” said Philippa Childs, the head of Bectu, the British Union for workers in the creative arts. “It's pretty scary.”

Last year, almost 90 percent of the £ 5.6 billion or $ 7.8 billion for film and high-end TV production in Great Britain, mainly from the USA, such as the upcoming “Jurassic World Rebirth” and “The Fantastic Four: First Steps”. Great Britain's largest and most respected studios are home to streaming giants such as Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon Prime. For decades, productions have been moved to Great Britain through its generous tax breaks, but also the experienced workforce that Hollywood hits have been accessible since “Star Wars” in the 1970s.

Mr. Trump has not yet gone through this threat, and it is not clear how he would do it. However, the British industry is still recovering from disorders caused by the Coronavirus pandemic and then the strikes of the 2023 actors and screenwriters in the United States.

“The studios in London really fill up and people are going to work again,” said Ms. Childs. “Our fear would be that these studios would suddenly become empty if this would become a reality.”

Bectu members still live with the memories of the strikes, said Ms. Childs. Eighty percent of the members surveyed at this point in time asked that their jobs were affected, although three quarters did not work.

Marcus Ryder, Managing Director of the Film and TV Knocking Organization, which supports industrial workers with their mental health and finances, is preparing for an influx of help inquiries.

“The uncertainty is really demarcated,” he said. People “have no idea what the tariffs mean, nor how to react to them.” It is “very destabilized,” he added.

Mr. Ryder said that companies and employees fear that their industry would be decimated if people are concerned that they could not pay their bills and their work. Supports that were delivered during pandemic and strikes such as cash grants could not be provided in the long term if the tariffs were enforced.

“Even a short -term tariff could have long -term devastating effects on the workforce,” he said.

Mr. Trump's suggestions for tariffs are “worrying,” said Adrian Woton, Managing Director of the British Film Commission, which contributes to gaining productions to Great Britain. He said his organization would meet with the government and other industry numbers to discuss their concerns.

The British government is in “active discussions with the top of the US government” about these potential tariffs and works to determine what could be proposed. “This is a very flowing situation, and we will continue to pursue a quiet and steady approach.”

Mr. Bryant added that many affected companies had reached. One of the first War Pinewood Group, who belongs to the big studio, which is famous for filming the Bond films.

At the same time, Great Britain and the United States are reported to agree to a pact that would make some of the effects of the recent increase in US tariffs easier.

Many trading experts are wondering how tariffs could be enforced on films. The most important film productions are increasingly international, with a line -up and crew from different countries and with different aspects of filmmaking, such as filming, post -production, visual effects and distribution that take place in different locations. It would be complex to determine what exactly is a “foreign” film and how tariffs are available for services.

“I don't think it can be done,” said David Henig, a trading expert in London. Instead, it is more likely that the American tax breaks would be increased, he said. “Obviously, it makes the threat to Great Britain and many other countries that have given tax credits to make films,” he added.

Governor Gavin Newsom from California countered on Monday with his own proposal Mr. Trump's tariff proposals: a tax credit for federal film tax of 7.5 billion US dollars. It would be the largest subsidy program for the individual government for the industry in the United States and the first of its kind at federal level.

Even without tariffs, higher tax incentives in the United States had “inevitably” impact on the British industry, said Ms. Childs from Bectu.

To a certain extent, the increasing dependence on American productions is a challenge for the British industry and its workers. Films like “Wicked” and “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning” and television programs such as the “Game of Thrones” spinoff “House of the Dragon” were mostly shot in southeastern England. The British government has increased tax reliefs for smaller productions to strengthen the British independent film industry.

These tax credits will help, said Ms. Childs: “But I don't think it will fill the emptiness of the US investments.”