London: The UK government has begun active discussions with the US administration on the issue of planned US tariffs on foreign films amid gloomy predictions from industry representatives about the consequences of these measures, UK Deputy Minister of Culture, Media and Sport Chris Bryant said.
On Monday, Philippa Childs, the head of the Broadcasting, Entertainment, Communications and Theatre Union (Bectu), said that US tariffs on foreign films could deliver a “knockout blow” to the UK film industry.
“I can tell the House that we are already in active discussions with the top of the US administration on this subject. We are working hard to establish what might be proposed, if anything, and to make sure our world-beating creative industries are protected,” Bryant said on Wednesday, speaking in the parliament.
On Sunday, US President Donald Trump said that he had ordered the immediate start to the process of imposing 100% tariffs on all foreign films coming into the country, in a bid to save America’s “dying” film industry. Trump argued that other countries were offering various incentives to lure filmmakers and studios away from the United States.
