Director Wes Anderson confused by Trump's 100% foreign-produced movie tariffs proposal
Filmmaker Wes Anderson mocked the "interesting" idea of President Donald Trump enforcing a 100% tariff on foreign-produced films on Monday.
While promoting his new film "The Phoenician Scheme" at the Cannes Film Festival, Anderson was asked about Trump’s proposal earlier this month to slap tariffs on films produced outside the United States.
Anderson, whose film was partially shot in Germany, was confused by the idea and wondered how it could even be enforced.
"The tariff is interesting because I’ve never heard of a 100% tariff before," Anderson told reporters. "I’m not an expert in that area of economics, but I feel that means he’s saying he’s going to take all the money. And then what do we get? So it’s complicated to me. Can you hold up the movie in customs? It doesn’t ship that way."
Anderson, known for his unique directing style and such hits as "The Grand Budapest Hotel," then admitted that he was "not sure" about the tariff itself and wanted the full details before giving an "official answer."
Despite Trump’s announcement, the White House later said there were "no final decisions" on how to address foreign filmmaking but added that it was "exploring all options" to promote domestic productions and "Make Hollywood Great Again."
Opinions have largely been split on the idea of a 100% tariff on films and whether it could help the entertainment industry. Fellow film director Richard Linklater also responded to questions on the tariffs at the Cannes Film Festival on Sunday, though he had harsher criticism for Trump.
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"I mean for the tariff, that’s not going to happen, right? The guy changes his mind 50 times in one day, whatever. It’s the one export industry of the U.S., it’d be kind of dumb," Linklater said.
In a rare collaborative tone, California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom offered support for Trump’s efforts to "Make America Film Again." He has instead proposed a $7.5 billion federal tax credit program to incentivize TV and film production.