US President Donald Trump has announced that he is “authorising” a 100 per cent tariff on “all movies coming into our country that are produced in foreign lands".
Describing internationally produced films as a “national security threat”, he added on Truth Social: “We want movies made in America, again.”
Mr Trump did not say that he would impose the tariff directly, explaining instead that he is authorising the US Department of Commerce and the US Trade Representative to institute the proposed levy.
Hollywood filmmaking has increasingly moved overseas and to Canada in recent decades, with many countries offering tax incentives to attract big budget productions.
The Mena region, in particular, has become a hotspot for Hollywood film production, particularly in the UAE, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Morocco and Tunisia.
More than 180 major productions have used Abu Dhabi as a filming location in recent years, including major Hollywood projects such as F1 and Now You See Me: Now You Don’t, and blockbusters Dune, Dune: Part Two, Sonic the Hedgehog and Netflix’s 6 Underground and War Machine, as well as entries from the Mission: Impossible, Star Wars and Fast and Furious franchises.
Abu Dhabi launched its rebate scheme in 2013 and updated it in January to allow productions to earn up to 50 per cent cash back, increasing its base subsidy from 30 to a minimum of 35 per cent.
Other regional incentives include rebates set in Morocco at 30 per cent, Jordan at 25 per cent and Saudi Arabia at 40 per cent.
It is unclear when the tariff will come into force or how it may affect production. The moviemaking process has become increasingly internationalised at multiple stages, including initial photography, editing and CGI development and rendering.
It remains to be seen whether or not existing projects that have yet to be released, such as F1, will be subject to the proposed tariffs.
Abu Dhabi Film Commission declined to comment on the proposed US tariff plan. The National also reached out to Saudi Arabia's Film AlUla and the Royal Film Commission of Jordan for comment.
Mr Trump clarified to C-SPAN on Sunday that he has “done some very strong research over the past week", saying the US is “making very few movies now”.
He added: “Hollywood is being destroyed. I’m not blaming other nations, but other nations have stolen our movie industry.
“If they’re not willing to make a movie inside the United States, then we should have a tariff on movies that come in. And not only that, governments are actually giving big money. They’re supporting them financially. That’s sort of a threat to our country in a sense.
“This is a concerted effort by other nations and, therefore, a national security threat. It is, in addition to everything else, messaging and propaganda.”
Mr Trump blamed California Governor Gavin Newsom for Hollywood's inclination to make more frequently outside of the US. When asked for a response, a representative from Mr Newsom’s office told the Hollywood Reporter: “Looks like it’s distraction day again in Washington.”
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
STAR%20WARS%20JEDI%3A%20SURVIVOR
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDeveloper%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Respawn%20Entertainment%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Electronic%20Arts%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EConsoles%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20PC%2C%20Playstation%205%2C%20Xbox%20Series%20X%20and%20S%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Roll of honour: Who won what in 2018/19?
West Asia Premiership: Winners – Bahrain; Runners-up – Dubai Exiles
UAE Premiership: Winners – Abu Dhabi Harlequins; Runners-up – Jebel Ali Dragons
Dubai Rugby Sevens: Winners – Dubai Hurricanes; Runners-up – Abu Dhabi Harlequins
UAE Conference: Winners – Dubai Tigers; Runners-up – Al Ain Amblers
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
French Touch
Carla Bruni
(Verve)
Start-up hopes to end Japan's love affair with cash
Across most of Asia, people pay for taxi rides, restaurant meals and merchandise with smartphone-readable barcodes — except in Japan, where cash still rules. Now, as the country’s biggest web companies race to dominate the payments market, one Tokyo-based startup says it has a fighting chance to win with its QR app.
Origami had a head start when it introduced a QR-code payment service in late 2015 and has since signed up fast-food chain KFC, Tokyo’s largest cab company Nihon Kotsu and convenience store operator Lawson. The company raised $66 million in September to expand nationwide and plans to more than double its staff of about 100 employees, says founder Yoshiki Yasui.
Origami is betting that stores, which until now relied on direct mail and email newsletters, will pay for the ability to reach customers on their smartphones. For example, a hair salon using Origami’s payment app would be able to send a message to past customers with a coupon for their next haircut.
Quick Response codes, the dotted squares that can be read by smartphone cameras, were invented in the 1990s by a unit of Toyota Motor to track automotive parts. But when the Japanese pioneered digital payments almost two decades ago with contactless cards for train fares, they chose the so-called near-field communications technology. The high cost of rolling out NFC payments, convenient ATMs and a culture where lost wallets are often returned have all been cited as reasons why cash remains king in the archipelago. In China, however, QR codes dominate.
Cashless payments, which includes credit cards, accounted for just 20 per cent of total consumer spending in Japan during 2016, compared with 60 per cent in China and 89 per cent in South Korea, according to a report by the Bank of Japan.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3ECompany%20name%3A%20CarbonSifr%3Cbr%3EStarted%3A%202022%3Cbr%3EBased%3A%20Dubai%3Cbr%3EFounders%3A%20Onur%20Elgun%2C%20Mustafa%20Bosca%20and%20Muhammed%20Yildirim%3Cbr%3ESector%3A%20Climate%20tech%3Cbr%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%241%20million%20raised%20in%20seed%20funding%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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