Paris says U.S. policies could hurt American cinema more than help, as Cannes prepares to roll out the red carpet. Dati and Cannes Festival head Iris Knobloch defend the French model that helped produce 231 films last year.
France's culture minister vowed Wednesday to defend the country's system of promoting domestic film production in the face of threats from US President Donald Trump.
France has a complex mix of taxes, quotas and levies on film and TV distributors that helps funnel money into the national film sector, making it Europe's cinema powerhouse.
"We need to defend it whatever the cost," Culture Minister Rachida Dati told reporters as she welcomed filmmakers to her ministry in Paris.
Some American directors, film studios as well as streaming giants Netflix and Amazon have lobbied the Trump administration to push back on EU legislation designed to protect and promote European filmmaking.
In a February 21 memo published by the White House, Trump took aim at what he called "overseas extortion", with a particular mention of laws that "require American streaming services to fund local productions".
On Sunday, Trump said he wanted 100 percent tariffs on movies "produced in foreign lands", unsettling the entertainment industry that depends on open borders.
"On the other side of the Atlantic, powerful players in this industry are hostile to the French cultural exception," Dati said, referring to France's laws to protect its creative industries.
"One could worry about the alignment of this agenda with that of the new American administration, but I'm not worried."
In an interview with France Inter radio on Wednesday morning, she said that Trump's film tariffs, if implemented, would lead to "the American industry being penalized, not ours".
France produced 231 films last year and recorded an increase in cinema admissions (181.3 million) compared to 2023, while all the major European countries and the United States saw a decline in admissions, industry figures showed.
"There is always some jealousy, and I hope this system (of promoting French film-making) will endure," the head of the Cannes film festival Iris Knobloch told AFP at the meeting at the culture ministry.
"The good health of the French film sector shows that this system is working well," she added ahead of the festival which opens next Tuesday.
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