Calgary's film industry left with questions after Trump threatens tariffs on non-U.S. movies

Karina Zapata · CBC News

· Posted: May 06, 2025 7:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

Damian Petti's telephone started blowing up connected Sunday evening, instantly aft U.S. President Donald Trump posted his program to enforce 100 per cent tariffs connected movies produced extracurricular of the United States.

As the head of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Local 212, representing 1,600 members, Petti is connected the receiving extremity of a batch of panic from those working down the scenes of Calgary's question representation industry.

"There is heavy concern. People privation answers, and erstwhile there's a shortage of answers, you sometimes get rumours and misinformation," said Petti.

In his post, Trump said helium was directing the Department of Commerce and the U.S. Trade Representative to "immediately statesman the process" of imposing the tariff. 

But Petti said it's excessively aboriginal to cognize however these tariffs — raised by Trump arsenic a solution to assistance America's "dying" movie manufacture — would impact workers successful Calgary. He said determination isn't capable accusation astir Trump's plan, and helium predicts it could instrumentality weeks to fig that out.

He said he's near with galore questions, similar whether the tariff would use to consumers' streaming costs oregon antithetic jurisdictions' taxation credits. He besides wonders if Trump genuinely does lone mean movies, oregon if helium means each streaming content. Each script would person a antithetic interaction connected the section industry, said Petti.

Until that's figured out, Petti said the uncertainty successful itself could origin damage. That's besides been the lawsuit with galore different tariff-impacted industries implicit the past respective months.

"Not knowing however this volition beryllium implemented volition person an contiguous effect of destabilizing accumulation due to the fact that radical won't privation to propulsion the trigger connected spending, let's say, $150 million, if they don't cognize what their risks are," helium said.

Keeping the momentum going

There's a akin sentiment astatine Calgary Economic Development.

"Not dissimilar the automotive sector, the movies travel backmost and distant a mates of times earlier they're finalized. So it's truly going to travel down to the details of what this tariff could perchance beryllium and however that could interaction it," said Brad Parry, president and CEO of the Calgary agency.

"This tariff whiplash happening crossed aggregate sectors — it makes it truly hard for tiny businesses to recognize however to plan, however to get ready."

While helium doesn't person capable details yet to make a crippled plan, Parry said his eventual extremity is to guarantee Calgary's movie manufacture doesn't suffer the momentum it's built implicit the years.

Earlier this year, the city placed 5th successful MovieMaker Magazine's database of the champion places to unrecorded and enactment arsenic a filmmaker successful North America.

Petti has raised concerns astir unemployment, but Parry said the assemblage has been growing, with Calgary Economic Development receiving much scouting bundle requests successful the archetypal 4th of 2025 than immoderate different Q1 successful the past decade.

Parry said the tariff concern is simply a premier illustration of wherefore it's truthful important to diversify partnerships crossed the globe. 

"Our content is we person to support our [heads] down, support doing what we're doing, marque definite radical recognize the opportunities that are here."

Increase oregon wantonness taxation credits

In his station to his societal media platform, Truth Social, Trump blamed different countries' incentives — designed to pull filmmakers and productions — for America's declining movie industry.

"Hollywood, and galore different areas wrong the U.S.A., are being devastated," said Trump successful his post.

Petti, president of IATSE Local 212, said if helium had to guess, helium predicts immoderate jurisdictions volition treble down and summation their incentives, portion others volition wantonness their enticements.

"I'm hopeful that we're successful a portion of the satellite that won't wantonness their incentives," said Petti.

For now, Petti said he'll beryllium keeping a adjacent oculus connected the concern and volition get immoderate caller accusation to his disquieted members arsenic rapidly arsenic helium can.