Scott Man, co-founder and co-CEO of Flawless, believes Trump’s tariffs are misguided
As a director and co-founder of a Hollywood-based company dedicated to helping films travel the world, I know a thing or two about the global film industry. What I know is that President Trump’s proposed film tariffs (taxing “any and all Movies coming into our Country that are produced in Foreign Lands”) reflect a real concern about the state of the American film industry. But tariffs alone aren’t a sustainable business strategy. They risk oversimplifying a complex, global challenge that deserves deeper conversation, not just regulation.
To be clear, the American film industry does have a problem, and it’s one I passionately agree needs solving. Production in the US has become too expensive and too constrained. Shoots are leaving the country. Stories are getting stuck. And too often, great films don’t reach the audiences they deserve, blocked by language barriers or outdated distribution systems. These are real issues, but the answer isn’t isolationism. It’s innovation.
That’s why I co-founded Flawless. We’ve developed technology that visually translates movies, syncing an actor’s face to dialogue in a new language. This week, in a world first, we’re releasing a visually dubbed version of the Swedish sci-fi hit Watch the Skies in US theaters. That’s not just a milestone; it’s proof that technology can expand global access and elevate cinema.
Audiences already get it. Two-thirds of viewers in the US and UK watch foreign-language content, and that number is even higher among younger generations. Netflix recently shared that more than 70% of its global members watch non-English content every year. Shows like Lupin, Money Heist, and Squid Game didn’t just find an audience - they became cultural landmarks. In the UK, BFI data shows that international content is steadily gaining traction, especially on streaming platforms where people care more about story than language. Viewers today are curious, and are constantly seeking new ways to experience content. This isn’t a threat to Hollywood. It’s an opportunity. The job of the American film industry isn’t to retreat. It’s to lead.
If we want to bring filmmaking back to US cities, we need to invest in infrastructure, training, incentives, and technologies like ours. Let’s make America the best place to make movies again, not through tariffs, but by embracing artistic and technological breakthroughs.
We’re open to the conversation. But the future of film isn’t in shutting borders, it’s in opening minds.
Scott Mann is co-founder and co-CEO of Flawless
No comments yet