Movie production in B.C. could be starting up again soon

Movie and TV show production could be starting up again in Vancouver soon after the Hollywood actors’ union reached a tentative deal, putting an end to the strike that left thousands of film industry workers out of a job for months.

American screenwriters went on strike in May, with actors later joining job action on July 14. It was the first time since 1960 that both unions were on strike simultaneously.

Union actor Kaylah Zander-Nuñez says her peers were desperate for gig work, many were forced to take on three or four jobs to make ends meet.

“Money was really tight for a lot of months. Whenever you do gig work, it really takes a toll on you emotionally … it was devastating for a lot of performers,” she said.

City of Vancouver Film Commissioner Geoff Teoli says the city saw an 80 to 90 per cent drop in film production during the strike and it will be a while before things bounce back to normal, likely Spring next year.

“The piece from the city’s point of view is going to be on scheduling. A lot of people are going to be coming in, a lot of projects were put on hold that had specific locations in the city that they wanted to go to, and those have all been backed up now a bit,” he explained.

The vast majority of B.C. film workers make a living on US productions, according to AFC, which provided $2 million in strike assistance money to Canadian film professionals. Executive Director David Hope says $1 million of those funds went to those working in Vancouver.

“The slowdown has affected thousands of Vancouver-area film workers quite directly,” he said. “For us at the AFC, we’ve seen triple the number of applications since the strikes began in May than we would normally receive in an entire year.”

Artificial Intelligence was one of the biggest concerns for actors — becoming a major sticking point during months of negotiations. Canadians in the industry have been watching closely as their own union talks are coming up in 2025.

“We’re a little anxious to see what the AI agreement was that they came to because that really impacts us. So, we’re celebrating, I’m celebrating, but we’re a little nervous. We just want to see the details,” said Zander-Nuñez.