At Cannes Film Festival, director Wes Anderson openly mocked Trump’s proposed 100% tariff on foreign-produced films. During the premiere of “Asteroid City,” Anderson sarcastically questioned the practicality of the bizarre plan, asking “Can you even hold a movie in customs?” The tariff, part of Trump’s “Make Hollywood Great Again” initiative, drew criticism from other filmmakers including Richard Linklater. Meanwhile, California Governor Newsom countered with a $75 billion tax credit proposal that might actually make sense.
Film director Wes Anderson isn’t buying Trump’s latest grand plan. At a Cannes Film Festival press event for his new movie “The Phoenician Scheme,” Anderson openly mocked Trump’s proposal for a 100% tariff on foreign-produced films, calling it “interesting” with more than a hint of sarcasm.
Anderson, known for his meticulously crafted films like “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” didn’t hold back. “Can you even hold a movie in customs? It doesn’t get shipped that way,” he quipped, highlighting the practical absurdity of implementing such a tariff.
The director, whose latest film includes scenes shot in Germany, admitted being “unsure” about how the whole thing would actually work. Public sentiment echoes this confusion, as the administration requires comments within 21 days of any new tariff investigation publication in the Federal Register.
The proposed tariff is part of Trump’s broader “Make Hollywood Great Again” initiative, announced alongside a sweeping 10% baseline tariff on imports from all countries. The White House has since backpedaled slightly, clarifying that no “final decisions” have been made regarding the approach to foreign filmmaking.
Fellow director Richard Linklater joined the fray at Cannes, delivering his own jab at Trump’s proposal. “A tariff like that isn’t going to happen right? Guy changes mind 50 times a day,” Linklater remarked, pointing out that film is “one export industry of the U.S.” and calling the potential tariff “rather foolish.”
Surprisingly, California Governor Gavin Newsom showed rare bipartisan support for the initiative, though he offered a different solution. Instead of tariffs, Newsom suggested a $75 billion tax credit to encourage domestic television and film production – a more traditional approach to attracting productions. The initiative aligns with broader efforts to strengthen U.S. manufacturing output, which has declined significantly since 2001.
Trump’s administration justified the broader tariff policies under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977, claiming foreign trade practices created a national emergency.
But for Anderson and others in the film industry, slapping a 100% tariff on foreign-produced films seems less like emergency economic policy and more like Hollywood fiction.
