U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Sunday a 100% tariff on movies produced outside the country. The President posted on Truth Social explaining that the American movie industry was dying a “very fast death” due to the incentives that other countries were offering to lure filmmakers.
This threat to put a 100% tariff is incredibly discriminatory and disheartening to filmmakers and film fans in America. The heart of cinema is community, to bring people together. It’s a universal art that speaks the same language of emotions, themes, struggles, beliefs and ideas that everyone can deeply relate to. It’s a testament to the human experience, to help us grow, love, laugh and escape. Without international films, we don’t see the different perspectives that are vital to growing empathy and understanding toward the world. The kids and low-income people who don’t have the luxury to travel get to escape, romanticize, and dream of a day where they can — through films.
International films are the foundation of American culture; a country that was founded by immigrants, binded by the diverse culture, is now being threatened to strip its artistic integrity and accessibility in order to fit the mold of what an “American film” should be. Watching foreign films and films set in other countries are vital for connection with people from all over the world. It helps us understand different cultures, languages, and backgrounds when we see this on film.
Directors like Quentin Tarantino, who is considered one of the greats of the past few decades, draw inspiration from Japanese films like the “Lady Snowblood” and have an overall deep fondness for Asian cinema. Without “Lady Snowblood,” we wouldn’t have the great cult classic of the “Kill Bill” series. Hollywood wouldn’t be Hollywood without the integration of other cultures and perspectives, reaching to deeper understandings of emotions, identity and truth.
The universal emotions and themes covered in film, covers us all in our human experience.
I have always been drawn to film. I vividly remember watching “The Little Mermaid” on VHS when I was four years old, writing down the words to “Part of Your World” on a blank sheet of paper inches from the TV screen. The images, the characters, the story allowed me to escape into another reality and made the emotions I was feeling a little less lonely.
When I was in middle school, that’s when Marvel was at its peak and “The Hobbit” revived J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings” universe, bringing it back on the screen. The adrenaline I felt leaving the theaters was filled with endless possibilities, hope, and resilience. It was almost like I carried parts of those movies with me when I left. I felt like I was a part of something big; I was the hero of my own story in this world.
Trump’s threat to put 100% tariff on foreign movies is a threat to the American film industry as a whole, which is already recovering from the pandemic’s effects and inclusion for streaming services. Without international films and stories, I would have never experienced “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit” the same way, climbing through the beautiful landscapes of New Zealand. Never would I have imagined a world outside of my own, a house sitting on a hill in the Midwest.
Film is impactful, and it’s a testament to the human race. Filmmakers make their art through their own unique perception and experience in digesting the world’s tragedies and economic stance. Now, we need that more than ever. Between the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the fight for DEI and equality, and the growing division in America, we need the artistic freedom to film outside America to gain more perspective.
