SA’s film success faces a Trump-sized threat

An area of the South African economy which has defied the prophets of doom – and has burnished the country’s reputation – is the film production industry.

Apart from stunning locations, South Africa has a wealth of local cinematic talent, from actors to behind-the-cameras techs… and, from the point of view of foreign film-makers, our rand’s weakness means this country is hugely enticing as an affordable movie location.

But that may all change drastically. We say may because we – and billions across the world – are hanging on the whims of the White House in Washington.

President Donald Trump’s latest foray in his campaign to “Make America Great Again” has been to lash out at the apparent imbalance in cinema production by slapping 100% tax on imported movies.

Never mind that the US really is the proverbial 500-pound gorilla in the movie-making business, exporting films valued at more than $120 billion (about R2.1 trillion) annually, a fraction of what it imports from other countries.

The SA production industry is worried, though. If implemented, Trump’s tariff would apply to locally made films, potentially even productions filmed here, and series sold into the US.

ALSO READ: Brenda Ngxoli stars in new rom-com: ‘A Scam Called Love’

That market remains one of the most lucrative globally for international distribution, especially for English-language content.

They have a reason to be worried, because Trump says the levy would apply to “any and all Movies coming into our Country that are produced in Foreign Lands”.

That could discount the currency advantage we have and make it prohibitively expensive for foreign companies to come here to shoot.

It goes without saying that thousands of jobs in the movie production sector itself – and the ancillary businesses which rely on it – will be at risk.

Let’s hope that Trump has another rush of blood to the head and changes his mind again.