Latest news with #FilmLondon
CBC
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Trump's film tariff threats put local industry in wait-and-see mode
London's industry representatives say no matter what happens, it's a challenge they can meet Those working in the local film industry reacted with a mix of concern and disbelief at news President Donald Trump is planning new tariffs on movies made outside the United States. Trump announced the plan in a social media post on Sunday, saying he has authorized the Department of Commerce and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative to apply a 100 per cent tariff "on any and all Movies coming into our Country that are produced in Foreign Lands." That drew a strong response from Canada's film industry, with one actors' union calling Trump's pronouncement"very troubling." About half of all Canadian film and television production involves projects from companies based outside of Canada. It's something London has seen the benefits of. Last spring, Blackfriars Bridge was used for an Amazon Prime television series called Motorheads. Also last year, Labatt Memorial Park was used in the shooting of You Gotta Believe, a baseball film staring Luke Wilson and Greg Kinnear. Some local youth baseball players even earned roles as extras in that film So how could Trump's tariffs affect films shot in Canada? Dorothy Downs, executive director and founder of the Forest City Film Festival, said Trump's comments suggest he's out of his depth when it comes to understanding a complex, integrated industry. She pointed out that unlike a car part or a plank of lumber, a film isn't quite the same as other products than can be subject to trade tariffs when they cross the border. "He has no idea how the film industry works, " said Downs. "I don't know how you put a tariff on intellectual property, so there's a lot of question marks. True to form, he talks before he even consults or thinks." Andrew Dodd manages Film London, which works to support all film production in London, both foreign or domestic. Dodd said foreign productions do play a role in supporting grown-in-Canada productions. "Part of supporting local industry is attracting foreign productions," said Dodd.. Dodd said if U.S. producers have a good experience working here, and locations such as the Blackfriars Bridge look good on film, it can have a positive trickle-down effect, even in an era of tariffs. "It helps with word of mouth," said Dodd. "[Foreign producers] they go back to where they're from and say 'We had a great time or these sites look great.' Other industry people will see the film and say 'Where is that from?'" Like Downs, Dodd isn't sure how a tariff on a film would work. It's difficult to image a scenario where a movie goer in Seattle, for example, would be charged more for a film because it was shot in London or any other Canadian city. Dodd said the best thing the industry can do is focus on its strengths and support a friendly environment for all film productions. "We have the talent here, great locations and crew supports," he said. Christopher Evans is a London-based producer, director and owner of Sevens Studio, a company that focuses mainly on music videos and commercial work. He sees the Trump threat as an indicator Canada needs to strengthen its domestic film industry, rather that worry about wooing the latest Hollywood film or TV production to London. He recently returned to London from working in the United States. He said having film, TV and video shoots happen outside of the U.S. is part of the new reality in the industry. "The world is shifting in a direction that is making some people uneasy, but at the same time it hopefully doesn't change the producers and directors that are just wanting to make good art," he said. "It's forcing us to look within," he said of the Trump threats. "We have the potential to be our own ecosystem and tell our own stories."
CBC
16-04-2025
- Business
- CBC
'Money talks:' London film industry expects more action with low Canadian dollar
Low gas prices and strong tax credits among other reasons U.S. productions may film in Canada, filmmaker says As tensions continue between Canada and the U.S., some people working in London's film industry say the economic uncertainties could bring more American productions into the city, generating revenue and job opportunities. "Typically, a low Canadian dollar can mean good things for the filming industry," said Film London manager Andrew Dodd, adding that cheaper costs tend to draw various foreign projects into the country to film. "It's a very bottom dollar and bottom line industry and if they can save money by taking advantage of a lower Canadian dollar, then they will," he said. The Canadian dollar is currently around 70 cents U.S., and London filmmaker Ethan Hickey says that, coupled with strong tax credits and low gas prices, is a huge money saver for productions. "If you're filming somewhere like London where a lot of your cast and crew are from Toronto, you have to pay for gas for those people to come in," he said. "That adds up and you can be spending tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars on gas alone." "Money talks…I think the Canadian film economy could benefit from the tensions with the U.S. right now," Hickey said. While those tensions may generate more revenue from productions coming into the country, Dodd said, it does not make things better for films already being made locally. "It doesn't really help domestic productions who are relying on resources and talent that might be coming from the States. Those prices may increase due to what we're seeing," he said. In 2023, 302 domestic projects filmed in Ontario according to data from Ontario Creates. Another 102 projects from foreign countries, including the U.S., were filmed that year. Both local and foreign projects are equally important to keep the industry afloat. Dodd said. "We want to support our local filmmakers so they can work on local films, and we want visiting productions to come here to use the local talent that's honing and refining their skills while they're working on their local projects." Calls to support Canadian-made films Some Londoners who work in the film industry want to see Canadians support more locally-made entertainment. "When it comes to 'Canada first,' the grocery store is the first thing people think about because it's very visible, but as far as content, movies and TV, I don't know that people outside of the industry think of where their content is coming from," said London-based producer Kristina Esposito. "I hope this will help people seek out Canadian content," she said. Hickey said he noticed a change in people's mindset while promoting Older Every Day, a Canadian-made film he directed which was recently released on streaming services. "I think what really got this indie feature a lot of coverage was talking about buying Canadian and buying Canadian products," he said. Dodd likens the small shift in attitude to the support around Canadian-made content when Hollywood actors and writers went on strike in 2023, but said there needs to be more. "I don't think enough change happened during the strikes," he said, adding that consumers are used to watching Hollywood-made content and sometimes struggle to engage in Canadian films and shows. There is an onus on the film industry to market Canadian content better, but it's also on the industry to make sure that content attracts a wider audience, Dodd said. "Canadian content does best when there's national pride there, but it's also not necessarily playing into whatever those stereotypes are when people think of Canadian content," he said.
