American filming could soon resume in Quebec following the agreement in principle reached on Wednesday between the major studios and actors in Hollywood. Something to rejoice in the audiovisual industry, which experienced a catastrophic year in 2023 because of this strike which lasted almost four months. The only downside now: the possibility that a labor conflict could bring all of Quebec production to a halt this time. But this threat now seems to be dissipating.
AQTIS 514 IATSE, the union that represents technicians in Quebec, can only rejoice that the actors’ strike in the United States is ending. Several of its members experienced an extremely difficult year, when no American filming took place in Quebec.
“We expect a production surplus for 2024. We will be in high demand. After several months of strike, the major American TV networks and broadcast platforms streaming are in great need of content,” notes Christian Lemay, president of AQTIS 514 IATSE.
Christian Lemay now expects the situation to return to normal within four to eight weeks, time for Hollywood to get the machine back on track after months of tension. American screenwriters were on strike from May to September. The actors had been there since July, which inevitably left its mark.
“We are a private company, so we do not give our figures. But we agree that it represented losses of several million dollars,” laments Andrew Lapierre, vice-president of Grandé Studios, which usually hosts several American shoots in its Montreal facilities.
The agreement in principle with the actors had barely been adopted with the actors on Thursday when Mr. Lapierre already said he had been contacted by his American partners who indicated their intention to return to Montreal as quickly as possible. The production of The Last Frontier, a new Apple TV series is particularly expected this winter in Quebec. The third season of Ghost should also be filmed here soon.
Negotiations progress with the UDA
For the moment, Andrew Lapierre’s concerns relate more to the Quebec market, which also represents a significant part of Grandé Studios’ activities.
Since this summer, rumors of a strike at the Union of Artists (UDA) have persisted. So much so that Quebec producers have brought forward their filming in recent months for fear of a work conflict with artists in the fall.
The collective agreement between the UDA and the Association québécoise de la production media (AQPM) expired in February. The issues at the center of the negotiations are not that far removed from those that led to the actors’ strike in the United States. Here too, the subject of resale rights on platforms is on the agenda.
In interview at Duty On Thursday, the president of the UDA, Tania Kontoyanni, wanted to be reassuring. “Negotiations are continuing normally. In any case, we made it clear that we did not intend to use pressure tactics, she assures us. We always give the chance to negotiation. A strike is really just a last resort. »
On the producers’ side, it is reported that the two parties have become closer in recent weeks. The risks of a strike being called are much less real than this summer, adds Hélène Messier, president and CEO of the AQPM. “Yes, producers have brought forward their filming to no longer have to film at this time. The strike was one of the probable scenarios at the beginning. But this is not a possibility at this stage,” she insisted.
The optimistic AQTIS
If the UDA went on strike, almost all filming for television and cinema would have to stop in Quebec. Some in September mentioned a joint strike by the UDA and the AQTIS 514 IATSE from November 11, the date on which the technicians’ collective agreement also expires. Two days before this date, the AQTIS 514 IATSE has still not found common ground with the AQPM, but the union is ruling out for the moment the possibility of going on strike.
“There is no reason at this time to say that these negotiations will not succeed. The discussions are in line with our objectives at the moment. But that could change,” says its president, Christian Lemay.