Hollywood has reacted skeptically to US President Donald Trump's announcement of a 100% tariff on foreign films. Experts from the film industry have described this as a policy hastily devised by a president who does not understand how the industry works.

"There is no logic to it," said entertainment lawyer Jonathan Handel, commenting on Trump's idea. Handel told AFP that many American productions, from James Bond films to the Mission: Impossible series, are shot abroad for obvious creative reasons.
"If the stunt is Tom Cruise climbing the Eiffel Tower, what are we supposed to do, shoot it at the Eiffel Tower replica in Las Vegas?" Handel asked.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump wrote: "I am authorizing the Department of Commerce and the U.S. Trade Representative to immediately begin the process of imposing a 100% tariff on all movies entering our country that are produced in foreign countries."
"WE WANT MOVIES MADE IN AMERICA AGAIN!" he added.
His words plunged the film industry into uncertainty, with entertainment company stock prices falling, unions trying to figure out whether the bomb also applies to television series, and everyone wondering whether this policy can even be implemented.
Handell emphasized that films are intellectual property.
"You can buy a movie ticket, but you don't buy a movie the same way you buy a piece of clothing or a car," which can be taxed when they cross the US border, he said.

Even if a system could be devised to impose duties on films shot outside the US, such taxes would do more harm than good to the American industry.
"The result would be a reduction in production, an increase in the price of films, a reduction in the number of films that can be shown in cinemas and on streaming platforms, which would hurt the distribution side of the business," the expert explained.
California Governor Gavin Newsom called for a partnership with the Trump administration to "make America great again."
"We have proven what strong government incentives can do. Now is the time for a real federal partnership to make America great again," he wrote on social media. | BGNES, AFP