BFI Raises Alarm Over Trump’s “Protectionist Language Around Hollywood”
British Film Institute (BFI) Chair Jay Hunt is voicing concerns over “very protectionist language around Hollywood” since Donald Trump reclaimed the White House.
At a U.K. parliamentary inquiry into high-end TV and film on Tuesday, Hunt made a plea to ministers for continued investment in the sector as the ￡4.2 billion ($5.2 billion) production spend is where she worries the industry will settle.
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“My biggest concern is that we end up being complacent about the high water mark that we now find ourselves at,” Hunt said. “I look across the landscape at a challenging regulatory environment in Europe and immediately from the new U.S. administration some very protectionist language around Hollywood, and I think one of the reasons the BFI has an important role to play is drawing attention to challenges and making it clear that the growth trajectory will not continue unless we invest in and support the sector.”
The Australian native, who has long been based in London, was speaking alongside BFI Chief Executive Ben Roberts. The pair’s arguments are bolstered by recent reports in the U.K. that U.S. co-production funding is dwindling (Trump met with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer earlier this week, though no news was released on whether they discussed the President enforcing tariffs on countries selling products in the States).
Only last week, the BBC sounded the alarm over several of its scripted commissions “stuck in funding limbo”. Hunt used the inquiry to “push back a little” on the emerging thesis that it is only public service broadcaster’s making “TV that speaks to British audiences”.
“Extraordinary programming is coming from the PSBs the whole time but it is also coming out of inward investment,” she said. “Look at Slow Horses, Rivals, Baby Reindeer or even what Amazon is doing in non-scripted with Clarkson’s Farm. Success from a BFI point of view is an entire ecosystem being built.”
“So we need to continue to support that very precious ecosystem,” Hunt added. “I look at where we are internationally, we are twice the size of the second biggest production sector in Europe, which is Spain. So we are in a great place, but it will not continue to be a great place if we don’t understand the complexity of that market and support people in navigating it.”
This isn’t to negate the importance of public service broadcasters, Hunt also said, describing the system as “such a rare thing that we have in this market.” She continued: “It is the envy of the world… So from a BFI point of view, a well-resourced public service broadcasting environment is incredibly important.”
The duo also discussed the future of British cinemas and why they are “staring down the barrel of a crisis.” Hunt said 45 percent of them are projected to be loss-leading by the end of this year, as the BFI attempts to find an antidote with the government in the form of capital investment in theaters. “Many are deteriorating,” she said. “This is an art form that over-indexes for lower socioeconomic groups. In certain parts of the country this is the cultural provision, so protecting it is important.”
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