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Reel tensions D ONALD TRUMP’S threat of tariffs on foreign-made films risks stoking tensions between the European and American film industries and dominating conversations at the Cannes film festival this week. o Trump film trade war looms over prestigious event in French Riviera

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he called “overseas extortion”, with a particular mention of laws that “require American streaming services to fund local productions”. American film industry groups such as the Motion Picture Association and the Directors Guild of America (DGA) have also lobbied the Trump administration to protest against European regulations. A group of leading French film figures, including Emilia Perez director and Cannes winner Jacques Audiard, fired back with an open letter to the DGA last month. “At a time when the gap between the US and the rest of the world is widening, we believe it is more important than ever for European and American filmmakers to remain united,” they wrote. French Culture Minister Rachida Dati vowed last week to defend French films “whatever the cost”, noting “on the other side of the Atlantic, powerful players in this industry are hostile to the French cultural exception”. Hollywood glitter at Cannes Cannes has always championed independent arthouse films, but it also reserves part of its programme to Hollywood blockbusters made by major American studios to attract audiences. This year will see Tom Cruise return for the world premiere of the latest and last instalment of his Mission: Impossible series, three years after he lit up the Riviera while promoting Top Gun: Maverick . While he can be expected to steer clear of politics and controversy, there will be plenty of Trump critics in attendance. Taxi Driver star Robert De Niro, who is set to receive an honorary Palme d’Or, is one of the most outspoken, often struggling to find words harsh enough to condemn Trump. Fellow New Yorker Spike Lee, who will present his film Highest 2 Lowest with Denzel Washington, raged against him in Cannes in 2018 after Trump refused to denounce violent far-right protests in Charlottesville, Virginia. Last year, festival organisers also selected The Apprentice in competition, a deeply unflattering portrait of Trump and his early real estate career featuring Succession star Jeremy Strong. Trump’s lawyers called the film “garbage” and “pure malicious defamation” when it came out on the eve of last November’s presidential election. Strong is set to return to Cannes this year as a jury member. – AFP

“We are a bit perplexed. We do not know how it is going to work in practice,” said Marti. Trump’s tariff salvo is part of a picture of growing tension between Europe and the US over the film and TV industries since the former reality TV star returned to the White House in January. As part of his ultra-nationalist “Make America Great Again” agenda, Trump’s Republican administration also has EU regulations that protect and promote European cinema in its crosshairs. The regulations take many forms but typically include measures such as taxing cinema tickets to fund independent filmmakers, quotas for European or non-English-language productions or forcing major studios to fund domestic productions. Overseas extortion In France, American streaming platforms Netflix, Amazon and Disney have to invest in French-language films or series in order to operate in the country. In a Feb 21 memo, Trump took aim at what

open trade. “It will be one of the big issues in Cannes,” said US-based media measurement agency Comscore representative Eric Marti. He said statements from another American leader, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos, had also focused minds. Sarandos said recently cinema-going was “an outmoded idea for most people”, pointing to the fact audience numbers worldwide have not rebounded since the Covid pandemic. The festival in Cannes, which kicked off on Tuesday, will see directors, actors and distributors try to make sense of Trump’s intentions and those of his Hollywood advisors, actors Jon Voight, Mel Gibson and Sylvester Stallone.

The US president has added a trade war to the sector’s list of concerns that already included competition from streaming platforms. The already tricky commercial outlook for big screen owners and film producers darkened considerably last week when Trump said he wanted 100% tariffs on movies “produced in foreign lands”. Even if most observers think the proposal is unworkable, it risks destabilising an industry that is highly globalised and depends on

The issue of US tariffs hangs heavy over the 78th edition of Cannes Film Festival. – AFPPIC

Cannes Film Festival 2025 THE Cannes Film Festival has began with Tom Cruise, Pedro Pascal and Scarlett Johansson among the stars showing up at the 78th edition of cinema’s biggest showcase. Below are some facts about the event and this

0 Sirat, Oliver Laxe 0 Nouvelle Vague , Richard Linklater 0 Two Prosecutors , Sergei Loznitsa 0 Fuori , Mario Martone 0 O Agente Secreto (The Secret Agent ), Kleber Mendonca Filho 0 Case 137 (Dossier 137 ), Dominik Moll 0 It Was Just an Accident , Jafar Panahi 0 Die My Love , Lynne Ramsay 0 The Mastermind , Kelly Reichardt 0 Zan O Bacheh ( Woman And Child ), Saeed Roustaee Other awards include the Grand Prix, Jury Prize, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Screenplay and Best Short Film. Which other top names will be there? Film legend Robert De Niro will receive an honorary Palme d’Or for lifetime achievement at the opening ceremony. Films screening out of competition include the new Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning starring Cruise, as well as Spike Lee’s Highest 2 Lowest , which will bring Denzel Washington to the festival’s red carpet for the first time. Star actors Johansson, Kristen Stewart and Harris Dickinson are all trying their hands as directors with films competing in the smaller categories. Everything kicks off this year with French-language comedy Leave One Day by 0 Eagles of the Republic , Tarik Saleh 0 Sound of Falling , Mascha Schilinski 0 Romeria , Carla Simon 0 Sentimental Value , Joachim Trier

year’s contenders. How did it begin?

Cannes is the world’s biggest film festival, first conceived in 1939 as an alternative to Venice’s film extravaganza that was under the sway of the ruling fascists. It has been held every year since 1946, apart from 1948 and 1950 when it was cancelled due to lack of funds. Since then, many of the films showcased there have gone on to Oscar glory. Appearances at the French Riviera resort town have also helped launch the careers of many directors, such as Quentin Tarantino. Running alongside is the world’s biggest film market, drawing more than 15,000 film industry professionals annually. Which films are competing? This year’s 22 contenders for the Palme d’Or prize are: 0 The Phoenician Scheme , directed by Wes Anderson 0 Eddington , Ari Aster 0 Resurrection , Bi Gan 0 Jeunes Meres ( The Young Mother’s Home ), Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne 0 Alpha , Julia Ducournau 0 Renoir, Hayakawa Chie 0 The History of Sound , Oliver Hermanus 0 La Petite Derniere , Hafsia Herzi

Cannes is widely regarded as the most prestigious of European film festivals. – REUTERSPIC

Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite. Only three female directors Jane Campion, Julia Ducournau and Justine Triet have won the top prize – for The Piano, Titane and Anatomy of a Fall, respectively – and only nine directors have won it twice. – Reuters

director Amelie Bonnin as the opening film. Previous winners Past Palme d’Or winners include Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver , Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now , Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction and