Lights! Cameras! Tariffs! How Waterloo region is reacting to threats against the movie industry
U.S. President Trump called for 100% tariffs on internationally made films
U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement of a 100 per cent tariff on movies made outside the U.S. has the Ontario film industry and local municipalities concerned about the future.
Waterloo region hosts many U.S. productions throughout the year, often standing in for American cities but with a cheaper price tag.
The city of Cambridge has hosted a number of productions including the very popular The Handmaid's Tale, the dystopian Hulu series based on Canadian authour Margaret Atwood's book.
Karisa Downey, the manager of economic development with the city of Cambridge, says Trump's announcement "introduces a degree of uncertainty."
"This policy could have trickle-down effects on our local tourism industry, which has benefited from film productions through increased activity in hotels, restaurants, and small businesses," said Downey.
Downey notes that in 2024 the city hosted 25 days of filming U.S.-based productions.
The same sentiment is felt in Brantford where American production companies, including the one that produced The Handmaid's Tale, also used city locations as a backdrop.
"With this evolving situation we are seeking to understand the potential implications and impacts," said Kevin Dekok, Brantford's economic development officer.
"Along with many other municipalities, we work closely with the provincial agency, Ontario Creates, and take our lead from them on many aspects when working with film and television. They are assessing the situation at this time."
'This is not a toy'
James Nadler is the incoming chair at the RTA (Radio and Television Arts) School of Media at Toronto Metropolitan University and also works as a TV producer and screenwriter. He says it'll be difficult to add up the tariffs on some films, like say the Mission Impossible series with Tom Cruise which are filmed all around the world.
"Nobody knows how the tariff would work. This is not a toy. It's not like it's a doll that's on a shipping container from China where you can say, 'OK, it was a dollar and now it's going to be $2,'" said Nadler.
"A film like Mission Impossible was shot in the U.K., shot all over Europe and North Africa. Then the post production, the CGI, the visual effects, they could be done in Quebec, in New Zealand and Australia. So first, how do you determine what is an American film and what's a non-American film?"
Nadler estimates that in Ontario there is $800 million a year of film activity and cutting 10 per cent of that would eliminate $80 million a year that would come into the province.
The immediate impact would be a trickle-down effect on hotels, restaurants and the travel industry, he said.
Nadler believes the uncertainty when it comes to the cost of the tariffs are going to "delay decisions [by film production companies] and put people out of work."
Location, location, location
Back in Cambridge, Karisa Downey says film producers are continuing to look for locations in the area.
"So far this year, there have been 12 days of filming and film production has brought in approximately $800,000 in economic impact," said Downey.
"We have an additional six to nine filming days coming up and more than 10 inquiries from various film production companies as well, which reflects the continued interest in the city as a unique film location and supportive environment for filmmakers."
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