After Page Six reported that SAG-AFTRA boss Fran Drescher is pushing President Donald Trump for tax breaks rather than tariffs for the film industry — one indie producer says they’re not on board with the plan.
Producer Rose Ganguzza — whose credits include “Margin Call,” “The Words” and “New York, I Love You,” and was apparently once called “The Godmother of Independent Film” in a profile by the French outlet Herald de Paris — is blaming SAG for “putting the industry out of business.”
“The people suffering the most in all of this are the producers. The studios are fine!” she added.
The Guardian recently reported that filming in Los Angeles is at a historic low as foreign countries offer financial incentives to draw away business.
Trump has appointed movie stars Mel Gibson, Sylvester Stallone and Jon Voight as “special ambassadors” to help save the industry.
Drescher was honored at the New York Women’s Foundation’s Celebrating Women Breakfast last month, and revealed she’s working on tax plans with Trump “to make sure our industry gets the tax abatement that we need to compete with other countries,” she said.
The former “Nanny” star made the statement after Trump announced he wanted to meet with Hollywood about implementing a 100% tariff on films made outside of the US.
A rep for SAG-AFTRA told us at the time, “A coalition of industry unions, of which SAG-AFTRA is one, along with [the Motion Picture Association] and the Hollywood Ambassadors, are working on this issue.”
Ganguzza, who says she worked with Trump on “The Apprentice,” believes there needs to be an incentive to keep foreign producers coming here to make movies.
“Tax credits exist in many states, but you need upfront capital to make a film. Studios don’t need bolstering. The independent sector does,” Ganguzza said.
A rep for SAG-AFTRA did not immediately respond.
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