(Image Source: 20th Century Studios, Pinterest)
U.S. President Donald J. Trump, who has repeatedly vowed to revitalize the Hollywood film industry, today made a sweeping announcement: imposing a hefty tariff on all films produced outside the United States. This aggressive move aims to incentivize productions that have moved overseas to return to domestic soil.
In a statement, Trump declared: "The American film industry is rapidly dying. Other countries are offering various incentives to lure our filmmakers and major studios away from the United States, and Hollywood, along with many other parts of America, has been severely impacted as a result. This is a concerted effort by other nations, and therefore constitutes a threat to national security; furthermore, it carries the transmission and promotion of political messages! Therefore, I am authorizing the Department of Commerce and the U.S. Trade Representative to immediately begin imposing a 100% tariff on all foreign-produced films entering our country. We want films to be produced in America again!"
(Image Source: Donald Trump)
Trump's new policy impacts not only foreign-language films that are inherently non-Hollywood productions but also Hollywood films shot outside the U.S. While it's not uncommon for Hollywood films to shoot abroad, recent years have seen an increasing number of productions relocate overseas. For instance, the UK's Pinewood Studios has become a highly sought-after location for many blockbuster productions, with the crew for the upcoming "Avengers 5" currently filming there.
As Trump stated, many of these productions move abroad due to the significant tax breaks and subsidies offered by other countries, which can save them enormous costs. Of course, there are also unique cases like the "Avatar" series, where director James Cameron has a long-standing co-production relationship with New Zealand's Wētā Workshop. Cameron himself, along with his wife, resides there, making every "Avatar" installment consistently and entirely produced in New Zealand.
via： Donald J. Trump