Cannes boss Thierry Fremaux addressed Trump’s proposed tariff of 100% on foreign-produced movies and the resilience of American cinema at his press conference on Monday.
U.S. President Donald Trump threw the film industry into despair on the eve of the Cannes Film Festival which hosts the world’s biggest market, by proposing a 100% tariff on all movies produced outside of the U.S. Asked to react to this, Fremaux said he’d prefer to hold off on commenting, suggesting that Trump has a habit of changing his mind.
“The American president has, over the last three months, accustomed us to saying one thing and then adding to it, elaborating on it, contradicting it, etc. So, no, I don’t know what to say,” he said.
“The idea that American cinema could be penalized by foreign countries is, I think, an idea that can be discussed, but there is one thing we have noticed, particularly in the months and years following COVID in 2021 and 2022, which is that there were fewer American films around the world, so local (non U.S.) productions have been more successful, and cinema always finds a way,” he said.
Fremaux said that if he could talk to Trump directly, he would tell him that “foreign films nourish the American imagination and culture.” “But I don’t think that’s really his thing,” he continued, adding that Cannes “won’t let anyone prevent cinema from being strong and creative.”
Amid escalating tensions between French and U.S. industries over the issue of European investment quotas which the DGA and MPA have blamed for hurting U.S. production and causing unemployment in separate memos addressed to the U.S. Trade Representative, Fremaux praised the breadth of American movies playing in the lineup.
“There were a lot of questions about American cinema, and there still are, about the actors‘ strike, the writers’ strike, the fires in Los Angeles, and perhaps sometimes a slowdown in the production of blockbusters from the studios, but it turns out that this year, the American programme is here, and it’s rich,” said Fremaux, who also cited the debut films by Scarlett Johansson, “Eleanor the Great” and Kristen Stewart, “The Chronology of Water,” both playing at Un Certain Regard.
“The United States remains a great country for cinema,” he said. “I belong to a generation for whom loving cinema meant loving American cinema.”
Fremaux said there are also “established directors,” Fremaux said, mentioning Spike Lee’s “Highest 2 Lowest,” a remake of Akira Kurosawa’s “High and Low.”
The 78th edition of the Cannes Film Festival kicks off tomorrow, May 13, with Amelie Bonnin’s feature debut “Leave One Day.” The jury is presided over by Juliette Binoche.
