May 12, 2025: Donald Trump’s controversial proposal to impose 100% tariffs on films and television shows produced outside the United States has sparked a powerful global backlash. In a unified stand, more than 100 film and television organizations from across the world have issued an open letter urging governments to protect the cultural and economic frameworks that support independent audiovisual storytelling.
The letter, titled “A Global Declaration for Artistic Freedom, Cultural Diversity and Cultural Sovereignty,” arrives just ahead of the Cannes Film Festival and directly responds to mounting concerns over the proposed tariffs. While not naming Trump explicitly, the declaration challenges his initiative and wider threats from algorithm-driven platforms, mega entertainment conglomerates, and the growing influence of AI in production.
Signatories include prominent organizations such as Italy’s Audiovisual Producers Association, Screen Producers Australia, the European Audiovisual Production Association (CEPI), the Canadian Media Producers Association, the European Film Academy, and France’s Société des Auteurs et Compositeurs Dramatiques. Numerous writing and directing guilds, along with other global industry bodies, have also lent their support.
The proposed tariffs—set to include not only foreign-made productions but also U.S. films and series shot abroad—have deepened international fears. Critics argue the move threatens to dismantle critical systems like Europe’s Audiovisual Media Services Directive and Canada’s local investment mandates for streamers, potentially stifling creative ecosystems worldwide.
The open letter passionately defends the right of creators to share stories rooted in their own cultures and identities. It underscores how vital public funding, cultural policies, and regulations have been to nurturing independent voices and ensuring global audiences access a wide array of narratives.
“Support for independent film and audiovisual storytelling is under growing threat,” the letter reads. “We are witnessing increasingly aggressive attempts by powerful political and corporate actors to dismantle the regulatory protections that ensure the diversity and accessibility of cultural expression.”
It warns that without such protections, diverse storytelling could be silenced, and local industries would suffer under homogenized, corporate-driven narratives. The letter denounces any political, legal, or economic efforts to weaken international cultural protections and calls on governments to uphold the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions.
The signatories urge global leaders to “stand firm” in defending the structures that allow independent voices to thrive, emphasizing that culture, creativity, and democratic access to diverse screen content are foundational to a vibrant global media landscape.
Meanwhile, in the UK, performers’ union Equity declared over the weekend that it was “industrial-action ready” in case negotiations with the producers’ group Pact and international streamers break down—though Equity did not sign the joint letter.