Last week, US President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social, a social media network, that his country would introduce a 100% tariff on films produced ‘in foreign lands’. Trump’s surprise declaration could decimate the Australian screen industry, sending ripples throughout the arts landscape.Â
Trump’s announcement did not include a timeline or details. He described other countries’ attempts to incentivise foreign film production as ‘propaganda’ and a ‘national security threat’. Both state and Federal governments offer incentives to attract American film producers to Australia.
The film industry in Australia, which has grown significantly in the wake of COVID-19, overlaps heavily with the wider performing arts sector. Many Australian artists work in multiple mediums in an effort to find a sustainable income. Actors, intimacy and fight coordinators, composers, dancers, choreographers, costume designers and visual artists all rely on screen work as well as work in theatres.
The Mayor of the Gold Coast recently announced a ‘30-year vision’ for screen production on the Gold Coast. A plan for a production facility with ten sound stages in the city’s north is poised to begin construction.
Trump has said he will talk with representatives from Hollywood, which relies on cheaper foreign production costs to make its films. The Australian arts sector is awaiting more details.Â
