Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on May 12, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 23, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleCannes director Thierry Fremaux calls for clarity on Trump's proposed 100% tariffs on foreign films, raising concerns in the film industry.
CANNES, France (Reuters) -Cannes Film Festival director Thierry Fremaux wants more details before discussing President Donald Trump's proposed tariffs on films made outside the United States, he said on Monday.
Fremaux, speaking to journalists one day before the festival is due to start, was asked what he might say to Trump about a threatened 100% tariff.
"It's quite difficult to answer this question, which is based on the announcement by the American president, who we're getting used to over the last three months saying something and then contradicting himself etc. So I don't know what to say."
Fremaux is not the only one, with many studio executives alarmed and baffled following Trump's statement earlier this month. Few details have been issued about how such a levy would work.
However, Trump's reasoning - that the U.S. film industry is dying a "very fast death" due to incentives that other countries are offering to lure filmmakers - could be a starting point, he said.
"The idea that American cinema would be penalised by foreign countries, I think it's a topic that's worth discussing," he said.
The 78th Cannes Film Festival is due to kick off on Tuesday evening with Amelie Bonnin's comedy "Leave One Day" as the opening feature - the first time the festival has been opened by a first-time filmmaker, according to Fremaux.
(Reporting by Miranda Murray, Rollo Ross and Noemie Olive, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien)
Thierry Fremaux wants more details before discussing President Trump's proposed tariffs on films made outside the United States.
Many studio executives are alarmed and baffled by Trump's statement, as few details have been issued about how such a levy would work.
Trump argues that the U.S. film industry is dying a 'very fast death' due to incentives from other countries that lure filmmakers.
The 78th Cannes Film Festival is set to kick off on Tuesday evening with Amelie Bonnin's comedy 'Leave One Day' as the opening feature.
Fremaux believes that the idea of American cinema being penalized by foreign countries is a topic worth discussing.
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