Former visual effects artist Dave Rand, long critical of foreign film subsidies draining U.S. VFX jobs, supports Donald Trump’s new proposal to impose a 100% tariff on movies produced overseas. Though Rand’s earlier efforts to push for tariffs failed, Trump’s recent announcement revived hopes of reshoring Hollywood jobs.
Rand, a former Democrat who voted for Trump over tariffs, argues that subsidies from countries like Canada have weakened U.S. postproduction studios, forcing workers into unstable, nomadic careers. He opposes giving more subsidies to Hollywood studios, blaming them for perpetuating the issue.
While major Hollywood studios and unions have reacted with skepticism or disapproval, Rand and others—like attorney David Yocis and ex-VFX artist Daniel Lay—see tariffs as a necessary tool to “level the playing field.”
Rand now lives in Millinocket, Maine, a once-thriving mill town devastated by foreign competition, mirroring what he sees happening in the film industry.
Despite controversy, Rand is rallying grassroots support, engaging with public figures like Jon Voight to push for action, believing that tariffs could reverse decades of job losses in American visual effects and postproduction.
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