Ottawa film studios worry Trump's threatened tariffs could mean the end

Some Ottawa film studios are concerned that U.S. President Donald Trump's threatened tariffs on foreign films could spell the end for their industry within months. 

On Sunday, Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social that "the movie industry in America is dying a very fast death," and authorized the Department of Commerce to initiate the process for imposing  tariffs on films produced outside the U.S.

Shane Boucher, president and CEO of Ottawa-based film studio 1Department Entertainment Services, said he found Trump's comments upsetting.

"We've been working with the U.S. for many years," Boucher said. "The studio can literally cease to function in a matter of months if we don't have enough productions that are booked."

Boucher's studio handles between eight and 15 small- to mid-size productions a year, with 90 per cent of those projects coming from American clients. According to Boucher, the combined budget for those films totals $20 to $30 million a year.

Without further details, Boucher said he can't definitively predict how the proposed tariffs will affect his business, but he fears the threat alone could force some companies to hit pause on projects.

"That pause can be just as detrimental as the final effect," Boucher said.

In a statement released Monday, the Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA) said that while details are "far from clear" at this point, the steps outlined by Trump — if they come to pass — would cause "significant disruption and economic hardship" to producers on both sides of the border.  

"The uncertainty it has caused underscore[s] the incredible importance of ensuring that Canada has a strong, independent domestic media industry," CMPA president Reynolds Mastin said in the statement.

Ottawa's film commissioner, Sandrine Pechels de Saint Sardos, said she's not panicking given the dearth of details. 

"Sunday night I slept very well," she said. "I'm someone who doesn't panic.... I just want to have more details."

Trump's post didn't include any specific details about how the tariffs would be applied or carried out. He alleged other countries were making a "concerted effort" to lure American filmmakers away from the States.

Boucher and Pechels de Saint Sardos both pointed out that the industry is globally intertwined, far beyond the studios and sound stages of Hollywood.

Pechels de Saint Sardos said 80 per cent of big productions like Fast & Furious are filmed overseas, while Boucher pointed to the Mission Impossible franchise, which is filmed in various locations around the world. 

"The industry thrives on being this kind of multicultural, universal industry," Boucher said. 

The threat of tariffs follows what has already been a difficult period for the film industry. The COVID-19 pandemic led to significant revenue losses at the box office, and many companies are still recovering from the 2023 Hollywood writers' strike that saw several productions delayed or suspended indefinitely.

Despite the global slowdown, the Ottawa film industry contributed to 11 Christmas movies for Hallmark and Netflix in 2024, according to Pechels de Saint Sardos.

Pechels de Saint Sardos said she's currently assessing the industry in Ottawa, but estimates it includes some 600 production crew members and 40 companies covering animation, TV and film, earning it about $50 million a year.

To those companies and their employees, the film commissioner's advice is: Don't panic and keep a cool head.