Donald Trump just announced a surprise 100 percent tariff on all movies made outside of the United States. This audacious gamble has set alarm bells ringing over the prospects for the local film industry down under. He then went on to strike fear into Australia’s trade negotiators by implementing – with grand rhetoric – a 10 percent tariff on all imports, including imports from Australia. Not only that, he imposed a massive 125 percent tariff on imports from China. The announcement has set off alarm bells among industry professionals. What they are concerned about is that these tariffs would significantly impact the screen supply chain and change the creative ecology.
The proposed tariffs may force a renewed focus on Australian storytelling, as filmmakers grapple with the implications of increased costs for foreign productions. The Australian film industry is forecasting a record $768 million in spending from foreign film and television productions for 2023-24. Whatever the case, this exciting increase may be just the beginning of a remarkable turning point in production and distribution of truly local content.
Many industry experts are cautioning that Trump’s tariffs could be just the beginning. They argue this would open the floodgates for similar tariffs on cultural goods. Esther Anatolitis, editor of the literary journal Meanjin, expressed her concerns about the broader implications of these tariffs on artistic expression.
“What’s really frightening is the impact that this has on what artists and creators do; on freedom of artistic expression,” – Esther Anatolitis
Impact on Local Productions
The tariffs will only affect those international productions that are currently working in Australia. Local filmmakers could potentially feel some of these ripple effects as well. The higher costs of producing foreign films could result in lower levels of production activity, hurting local crews and talent.
Arts Minister Tony Burke is understandably sounding cautious, but he’s clearly realised these issues are not easy to negotiate around international trade agreements. He said talks with these streaming services to set local content quotas have gone more slowly than hoped. These recent advances are what’s behind the delays.
“We’ve had to consult with streaming services in the context of the free trade agreement with the United States and that has meant it has been slower than I wanted it to be,” – Tony Burke
Burke went on to highlight the federal government’s ongoing support for the Australian screen industry in the face of these challenges. “Nobody should be under any doubt that we will be standing up unequivocally for the rights of the Australian screen industry,” he added.
Matthew Deaner, an industry representative, noted that the situation underscores an urgent need for the government to build a resilient local industry capable of withstanding global pressures.
“For the Australian industry, it reinforces the need for the government to focus immediately and swiftly on building a resilient local industry that can withstand global shocks like this,” – Matthew Deaner
Cultural Consequences of Tariffs
Trump’s tariffs would have a much more profound cultural effect. Taken together, they are a sign of a dangerous new trend — the increasing protection of domestic industries from foreign competition. Through his administration, Robert Moses intervened more actively in arts and culture. They named leading thespians as special envoys to Tinseltown and seized institutions such as the John F. Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts.
The danger the tariffs pose on the future of international collaboration in filmmaking is severe. As noted by Amanda Lotz, a well known media scholar, dependence on Hollywood dollars puts homegrown filmmakers at the mercy of an unpredictable funding source.
“The industry may be reliant on productions that are being funded by Hollywood studios because there’s just not enough money to sustain an industry on Australian made and circulated goods,” – Amanda Lotz
Experts like Matthew Eltham suggest that this moment could serve as an opportunity for Australia to reassess its screen policy incentives. Targeting any support to more local storytelling is now overdue to energize national production, creativity and entirely new narratives,” he tweeted.
“This is an opportunity for Australia to rethink the structure of its screen policy incentives: to redirect them towards local content, and particularly stimulating local storytelling, local writing,” – Matthew Eltham
Navigating a Changing Landscape
Industry stakeholders are working closely to understand the impacts of these tariffs. They all are together in one thunderous call to action, to help power Australia’s creative economy. Change away from foreign productions appears to be coming. Such a shift would transform how Australian stories are told — domestically and globally.
Esther Anatolitis warned that this is just a preview of much deeper systemic crises to come.
“This is a bit of a tip-of-the-iceberg story, unfortunately,” – Esther Anatolitis
The federal government’s local content quotas for streaming services are being held up in the Senate. This added layer of delay contributes even further to the uncertainty Australian filmmakers have to endure. As they walk into this brave new world, one of the bigger questions on everyone’s mind is how Trump’s tariffs will affect their narrative. As such, they want their stories to have an impact beyond the municipality’s borders.
