Film Institute: Europe will not impose counter-tariffs on Hollywood films

Edith Sepp, head of the Estonian Film Institute, said President Donald Trump's plan to impose a 100 percent tariff on films produced abroad would not significantly affect Estonia, but it would impact larger European countries.
"I think it would be appropriate for Europe to take all of Trump's statements calmly, to conduct an analysis, and to take enough time to understand what is actually going to happen," Sepp told ERR, adding that most of these pronouncements have been made hastily.
"If this starts to be seriously discussed, these statements will take on a completely different form. We should patiently wait to see what proposals emerge and how the policy will develop in the near future."
Sepp said Europe has been preparing for this.
"This topic is already being discussed within European organizations, so preparatory work has begun, and Europe will certainly form its response," she said, adding that there would not be enough time to react to this news by the start of next week's Cannes Film Festival. "But I repeat, we have taken this into account, and this topic has been circulating since the beginning of the trade war."
She is confident, however, that positions will be taken on this issue.

"When filmmakers gather in Cannes, it is entirely possible that Europeans and Americans will make a joint statement. There are organizations capable of putting together such a positive message," she said, emphasizing that this year's dilm festival is likely to be very interesting.
However, Sepp does not believe that Europe will impose retaliatory tariffs on Hollywood films.
"This collaboration has been very beneficial to the United States. We could look at what is happening in the American film industry. Trump's message also mentioned that Hollywood is suffering because films are being taken to Europe and shot in European countries, but in reality, Hollywood faces much bigger problems. The industry has larger challenges, and to overcome them, American and European cooperation is needed. Imposing a 100 percent tariff and reciprocating in kind is not a very long-term solution."
This decision does not affect Estonia significantly.
"Here we need to act as partners to the Germans and the French, large countries that are highly visible in the American market. This is more of a European issue than an Estonian one. I believe that the Estonian films we show in America are not widely distributed in cinemas, so they are not directly affected. However, if we think about platforms, Estonian films could be available on American platforms, and there could be some damage there."
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Editor: Kaspar Viilup, Helen Wright