The British Film Institute reportedly made a direct appeal to UK ministers to keep Britain’s film and television sector out of any trade agreement with Donald Trump’s administration, warning that such a move could cause “fundamental harm” to the country’s screen industries.
According to the report, the BFI sent a policy document to the British Foreign Office in May 2025, setting out its concerns about allowing film, TV, and wider screen policy to become part of trade negotiations with the United States.
BFI lobbied UK ministers over Trump trade deal risks
The intervention highlights a long-running anxiety inside the UK creative sector: that trade deals can sound technical on paper, but may carry real consequences for how British film and television are funded, protected, and promoted.
The BFI’s position was clear. The screen industries, it argued, should not be treated like a routine trade bargaining chip. Once audiovisual services are pulled into an international trade deal, governments can find it harder to preserve local cultural policies, public support mechanisms, and regulatory tools that help domestic producers compete.
For the UK, that matters. Film and TV are not only cultural exports; they are major employers, regional investment drivers, and a key part of Britain’s global soft power. From high-end television production to independent cinema, the sector depends on a mix of commercial backing, tax incentives, public funding, skills support, and international partnerships.
Why UK screen industries fear being included in a US trade agreement
The core concern is that a UK-US trade deal could place pressure on domestic screen protections. While the exact contents of the BFI document have not been fully detailed in the excerpt, the warning about “fundamental harm” suggests the institute believed the risk went beyond minor policy tweaks.
American entertainment companies already have huge influence in the UK market, particularly through streaming platforms, studio investment, and distribution networks. That investment is often welcomed by producers, crews, and facilities. But the BFI’s reported lobbying points to a separate issue: whether future UK governments must retain the freedom to design policies that support British stories, British talent, and independent production.
Trade agreements can include commitments that limit how countries regulate services or support local industries. For cultural organisations, the fear is that these rules may weaken a government’s ability to back national film and TV in ways that are not purely market-led.
Film, TV and streaming policy under the spotlight
The timing is also significant. The UK screen sector is navigating a fast-changing market shaped by streaming disruption, production cost inflation, changing viewer habits, and competition for global studio spending. Any shift in trade policy could land at a moment when independent producers are already under pressure.
Keeping screen industries outside a trade deal would not mean shutting out the US. Britain and America have deep creative ties, and major Hollywood-backed shoots remain a powerful part of the UK production economy. The BFI’s reported argument appears to be about maintaining policy flexibility rather than cutting off collaboration.
In plain terms: the UK wants the business, but cultural bodies do not want the rules of that business written in a way that limits national support for homegrown film and television.
What the BFI warning means for UK film and TV
The BFI’s lobbying suggests the screen sector is watching trade talks closely, especially where audiovisual services are concerned. For audiences, this may sound distant from what appears on Netflix, BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Disney+, Prime Video, or in cinemas. For producers and filmmakers, it could shape the funding landscape for years.
If ministers accept the BFI’s argument, they would likely seek carve-outs or exclusions for film, TV, and related audiovisual policy in any future US trade arrangement. If not, industry figures may push for stronger public assurances that tax relief, cultural funding, and domestic content policy will remain protected.
Either way, the message from the BFI is hard to miss: Britain’s screen industries are economically valuable, culturally important, and, in the institute’s view, too sensitive to be folded casually into a Trump-era trade deal.
Tags: #BFI #UKFilmIndustry #TrumpTradeDeal #ScreenIndustries #StreamingPolicy