Representative to start the process to impose the levy because America's film industry was dying "a very fast death".

He blamed a "concerted effort" by other countries that offer incentives to attract filmmakers and studios, which he described as a "national security threat". Filmmakers have for years left Hollywood for destinations including the UK and Canada to lower costs. One non-US union said the tariff plan would be a "knock-out blow" to the international industry.

Trump said on his Truth Social platform: "It is, in addition to everything else, messaging and propaganda!" "WE WANT MOVIES MADE IN AMERICA, AGAIN!" US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick responded to the announcement, saying "We're on it". But the details are unclear. Trump's statement did not say whether the tariff would apply to American production companies producing films abroad. Several recent major films produced by US studios were shot outside of America, including Deadpool & Wolverine, Wicked and Gladiator II. It was also unclear if the tariffs would apply to films on streaming services, such as Netflix, as well as those shown at cinemas, or how they would be calculated. The founder of European cinema chain Vue, Timothy Richards, questioned how Trump would define a US film. (BBC)