More than 100 film and television organizations from around the world launched a call to EU institutions and global governments on Monday (before the Cannes Film Festival kick-off) - calling on them to support plans announced by U.S. President Donald Trump to support an ecosystem of independent industries to impose tariffs on film imports.

Signatories include the European Producers Club, which represents the top independent film and TV series producers of continental Europe, Irish Stocks, South Africa’s Independent Directors Association and Canadian Union’s product company Francophones Francophones du Canada.

The attraction of the title “Our Story, Our Voice: A Global Declaration on Art Freedom, Cultural Diversity and Cultural Sovereignty” requires the government to “get a foothold and maintain systems that support independent film and audio-visual creation so that cultural, creativity, creativity, and democratic screen access can continue to flourish.”

“We have witnessed increasingly active attempts by powerful political and corporate players
Demolition of regulatory protections that ensure cultural diversity and accessibility
Expression,” the appeal stated.

“This includes direct challenges to basic protections such as audiovisual media
EU Service Directive, Propose Local Content Obligations in Australia,
Asian screen quotas and streaming services help domestic requirements
Production in Canada et al. ” it added.

In Europe, Trump’s aggressive new trade policy is prompting U.S. studios to launch a new offensive against the EU’s Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMS), which forces foreign streaming services to invest a portion of their revenue in local products.

The Motion Picture Association which, among other Hollywood companies, represents the interests of Disney, Netflix, Paramount, Amazon Prime/MGM, Sony Pictures, Universal and Warner Bros. in March – prior to Trump's tariffs on film announcement – ​​sent a memoryandum to the United States Trade Representative (USTR) underlining “disproportionate investment obligations” in European countries including France, Germany, and Italy.

The signatories stressed in their appeal that they “resolutely oppose any political, legal or economic initiatives designed to undermine national or international rules designed to uphold artistic freedom and
Cultural diversity in the film and audio-visual sectors. ”