Donald Trump is relying heavily on tariffs in his trade policy.

US President Donald Trump's announcement to impose high tariffs on films produced abroad is also causing uncertainty in Germany. "Many questions remain unanswered, and the consequences for our business and Germany as a production location as a whole cannot currently be fully assessed," said Jörg Bachmaier, CEO of the Potsdam-based film studio Studio Babelsberg.

"As a long-standing partner for US productions shooting in Germany and as part of the international Cinespace Studios platform, we are closely monitoring the situation to understand how the announced tariffs could impact our operations, our services, and our customers," Bachmaier said. Studio Babelsberg is not a lone fighter, but part of a global studio network and a global industry built on international cooperation and cultural exchange.

Studio Babelsberg is considered the cradle of German film. Its program included the German-language series "Babylon Berlin" and internationally successful feature films such as "Inglourious Basterds" and "Bridge of Spies." According to Studio Babelsberg, Cinespace Studios operates studios in the USA, Canada, and Europe.

Trump had previously claimed that the American film industry was dying. He attributed the reason to other countries luring filmmakers and studios from the US with various incentives. Trump's solution: a 100 percent tariff on films "coming into our country that were produced abroad." This could also affect the business model of US studios, as they themselves shoot a lot abroad to reduce costs.

No further details were immediately available. Trump announced talks with representatives of the film industry. It's unclear how such tariffs would even work, since films aren't imported like goods with a fixed price and are often cross-border productions. The US government would therefore have to, among other things, find a way to evaluate films for this purpose—and determine when they are considered an import.