On May 4, ironically a day movie fans around the world celebrate the Star Wars franchise, one heavily inspired by Japanese cinema, President Donald Trump took to Truth Social to propose a 100% tariff on all foreign-made films.
With this, Trump framed Hollywood’s decline as a “National Security threat.” It’s the kind of statement that demands outrage, but also invites a deeper question: what exactly are we losing when we close ourselves off from the rest of the cinematic world?
The answer is a simple one. Foreign films are not a threat to American values or culture. Rather, they’re a lifeline to humanity itself. In an era of political fear mongering and cultural isolation, they may be one of the few remaining forms of art that consistently challenge us to think, feel, and grow beyond the limits of our own borders.
Cinema is not confined to Hollywood. From Italy’s Bicycle Thieves, to Japan’s Rashomon, to Iran’s A Separation, to France’s The 400 Blows, it’s clear that some of the most influential films ever made have emerged quite far from the star-studded streets of Los Angeles. These works don’t just entertain, they have shaped global storytelling, launched movements, and dared to say what mainstream cinema wouldn’t.
They’ve also reached audiences on a deeply personal level. Foreign films often take emotional risks that Hollywood avoids. They’re more willing to linger in ambiguity, to embrace silence, and to resist resolution. They speak with a different rhythm, one that invites introspection rather than distraction.
“Foreign films have definitely changed my views on film and humanity as a whole. It just gives you such a different perspective and adds so much to your understanding of different people and cultures,” said Landon Elliott (12), a lover of all things film who plans to study the subject in college.
And that’s not an isolated experience. The global language of film, whether it’s visual poetry, emotional realism, or political allegory, offers us a mirror from angles we never knew existed. These aren’t just “foreign” films, they’re films that speak to the parts of us we often ignore.
In truth, some of the most groundbreaking innovations in cinematic form, storytelling, and character come from outside the United States Movements like the French New Wave, Italian Neo-realism, modern South Korean thrillers, and Japanese postwar cinema have defined generations of film history.
“Cinema is an art form that is designed to go across borders,” said Denis Villeneuve, acclaimed director of Dune, The Arrival, Blade Runner 2049, and several other celebrated works.
Beyond that, these films also connect with modern audiences. Streaming platforms like Netflix, MUBI, and the Criterion Channel have made it easier than ever to access foreign films, and people are watching.
According to GlobalWebIndex (GWI), “In the UK and US, 76% of Gen Z/millennials watch foreign language TV shows or films, compared to 56% for Gen X/baby boomers,” and according to Netflix in 2023, “In the UK, viewing of non-English language stories on Netflix has increased by 90% over the last three years,” showing just how great the demand is for content beyond domestic releases.
Critically, foreign-language films are not just succeeding, they’re dominating. Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite made history as the first non-English-language film to win Best Picture at the 2020 Oscars. Drive My Car, Another Round, The Worst Person in the World, Roma, and countless other foreign films have all earned international acclaim and box office returns. This is not just a fringe interest—it’s a growing cultural shift.
According to the Economic Times, “In 2024, international films accounted for approximately 20% of the total box office revenue, indicating a strong presence of foreign productions in the U.S. market.”
What foreign films reveal is simple: good storytelling is borderless. In a world so often divided by nationalism, fear, and language, film remains one of the few yet most powerful artistic mediums that can still connect us across all of it.
“Film doesn’t end and begin with the cultural bubble we’ve placed ourselves in, it’s a lens that reflects life everywhere. It teaches us what it means to be human, no matter where we are in this world,” said Film Studies teacher Kaitlin Naccarato.
Foreign films remind us that America is not the default perspective. There are other ways to see love, grief, justice, joy, and other rhythms of life to attune ourselves to. To shut those stories out is to shrink not just our taste, but our understanding of humanity.
Trump’s decision may seem like just another one of his tired culture-war tactics, but it speaks to a deeper decay: the belief that American art is inherently superior and that fear should dictate what we’re allowed to feel. In reality, isolating American audiences from foreign films won’t save Hollywood, it will starve it. Art thrives and has always thrived through exchange.
To dismiss the films of the world is to choose ignorance. In a nation that has imposed its presence on the world culturally, politically, and economically, refusing to engage with the stories of those we affect isn’t just short-sighted, it’s hypocritical, selfish, and dangerous.
“Don’t let people tell you what to enjoy. Keep pushing your own boundaries and you’ll find something that, even if you might have thought it wouldn’t, really reaches your soul,” said Elliott.
