UK film bodies are planning to sit down with the government to discuss Donald Trump‘s shock plans to slap a 100% tariff on “any and all” movies produced in “foreign lands.”
The British Film Commission (BFC), which helps promote international film and television production in the UK, said it would hold talks with ministers in the coming days. The British Film Institute (BFI) also said it would discuss the matter with the government.
The UK would be particularly vulnerable to any tariff imposed by the White House, given that the country has established itself as one of Hollywood’s top destinations for offshoring shoots, thanks to tax incentives, a skilled workforce, and a shared language.
Avengers: Doomsday and Enola Holmes 3 are among the major studio movies currently shooting in UK facilities after U.S. companies spent close to £1.4B ($1.9B) making films in Britain last year. That figure equated to 64% of all UK film production, per BFI data.
The UK industry heaved a collective groan of disbelief at Trump’s Truth Social pronouncement, in which he claimed that foreign productions are a “national security threat” and said they bring “messaging and propaganda” into America. “It’s insane,” one producer told Deadline.
Adrian Wootton, chief executive of the BFC, said: “While this announcement is clearly concerning, we need to understand the detail surrounding the proposed tariffs. We will be meeting with government and our industry policy group in the coming days to discuss further.
“The UK and U.S. have long enjoyed a strong, shared history of film-making, recently celebrating 100 years of creative collaboration and production. We look forward to continuing that for years to come, to our mutual benefit.”
A BFI spokesperson added: “The BFI is working closely with the UK government, and industry partners in the UK and U.S. while we understand the detail of the proposal. We want to keep collaboration at the heart of our sectors, so we remain a constructive partner to our friends in the US and internationally.”
The UK’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport has not responded to Deadline’s request for comment. Monday is a national holiday in the UK, with the country celebrating the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day following World War II.
Caroline Dinenage, chair of UK Parliament’s influential Culture, Media and Sport Committee, said the government must “urgently prioritise” the film industry as part of trade talks with Trump.
“Making it more difficult to make films in the UK is not in the interests of American businesses. Their investment in facilities and talent in the UK, based on U.S.-owned IP, is showing fantastic returns on both sides of the Atlantic,” she said.
“At the same time, the government’s forthcoming Creative Industries Sector Plan needs to meet the challenge we set down of incentivising inward investment while also growing our domestic sector so British film and high-end TV can thrive.”
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has walked a careful line over Trump’s tariffs. He has resisted any temptation to retaliate, preferring to focus on the prospect of a trade deal.
