US President Donald Trump has caught the global film industry off guard by announcing plans to impose a 100 percent tariff on Nollywood and other foreign films. Trump wrote in a post on Sunday that he has instructed the US Trade Representative and the US Department of Commerce to begin the process of applying the levy to all movies made in “foreign lands.”
The US president claims that the action is the most recent effort to save Hollywood, the nation’s film industry. According to him, foreign competition is causing Hollywood to die “very fast,” since other nations are attempting to have strategic influence over the film business, which will lower Hollywood’s standing.
Trump stated, on his Truth Social platform, Other countries are offering all sorts of incentives to draw our filmmakers and studios away from the United States. Hollywood, and many other areas within the U.S.A., are being devastated. This is a concerted effort by other Nations and, therefore, a National Security threat. It is, in addition to everything else, messaging and propaganda!”
He went on to say that the US hasn’t been producing many films lately and that foreign countries have taken over the Hollywood film business. “If they are not willing to make a movie inside the United States, we should have a tariff on movies that come in,” the US president remarked, providing a means for international films to avoid the possible levy.
The question of whether this would apply to Hollywood productions that require multi-country filming and production is another plot twist. Trump did not, however, go into detail on how such a tariff would operate.
The millions of fans and customers in the diaspora who depend on streaming services for cultural connections could suffer greatly as a result of Trump’s 100% tariff on Nollywood, in addition to the negative effects on African filmmakers. The global influence of Nollywood, the second-largest film business in the world by output, has grown significantly, making its content a major player in global marketplaces.
How does this tariff affect Nollywood?
Trump’s 100% tariff would make Nollywood films far more expensive for American distributors and viewers, which would lower demand and make it more difficult for Nollywood producers to get their films into the US market.
It may also limit chances for international partnerships by affecting partnerships between U.S. producers and Nigerian filmmakers. There will be significant pressure on Nollywood and other international film businesses to change. They will look into other markets, bargain with distributors, or push for legislative reforms to lessen the impact of the tariff to lessen the burden.
What do other institutions think?
The reaction has been swift. The planned levy has been denounced by African Union officials and international creative rights organizations as a kind of cultural control masquerading as economic protectionism. They contend that political reasons shouldn’t impede the free exchange of artistic expression.
Streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime, which have made significant investments in Nollywood films, may have to decide whether to raise subscription fees or cut back on their purchases of foreign material. Customers, particularly those looking for new, culturally rich stories from sources outside of the conventional Hollywood environment, should be wary of either choice.
Trump’s supporters, on the other hand, see this action as essential to regaining American cultural supremacy.”Why should we support foreign businesses when our own are struggling?” asked a conservative pundit on a well-known television show.
However, the international response indicates that such a program might backfire both diplomatically and economically. For many people, movies serve as a cultural bridge in addition to being an entertaining medium. The United States also runs the risk of cutting itself off from the rich tapestry of global narrative by charging foreign films out of the market.
