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U.S. President Donald Trump started off the week threatening to impose 100 per cent tariffs on movies produced outside of the U.S. to help what he called a “dying” Hollywood industry, which has seen movie and TV productions move to other countries for cheaper filming.

The news quickly sparked confusion.

“Some movies are made in bits and pieces around the world,” said Zohr, whose shop offers film equipment rentals to production companies shooting in Hamilton. 

“You could shoot a scene in England, shoot a scene in Czech, shoot a scene in Poland, put the movie together in the U.S.” 

Much like automotive tariffs announced by Trump, questions of implementation arose, along with concerns about impacts on businesses and Hamilton’s film scene.

There are several moving parts in film production, which requires lead and background actors, filming equipment and city permits to film. 

Marvin Ryder, an economics professor at McMaster University, said so far, nothing is definitive, and putting tariffs on products usually takes a year to sort out.

“It’s caused tremendous confusion in Hollywood, but the bottom line is nothing’s happened,” said Ryder.

Hamilton has long been a , with local buildings and streets featured in Hallmark movies, the “Murdoch Mysteries” series and the recently released Trump biopic, “The Apprentice.”

The city has issued 149 film permits this year, with 61 having either completed production or in the works, said Kim Adrovez, manager of creative industries and cultural development. 

Despite labour setbacks from the 2023 Hollywood strikes and a downtick in activity, the city said local filming has held strong. 

The city said 139 productions filmed in Hamilton last year, and the productions reported contributing $59.5 million to the local economy. That number was $73 million in 2022.

It is these production that Zohr relies on to keep his business going. 

“They’re the biggest consumers and our biggest clients. They love coming to Canada to make movies,” said Zohr. 

His studio sells supplies sourced in New York and California.

Zohr said he is following the news, like everyone else, with frustration and uncertainty. 

“It’s really just frustrating and annoying to me because day-to-day, we don’t know what he’s going to say and what that means,” said Zohr. 

It is still unclear whether the tariffs will be implemented and, if so, how. 

The city did not comment directly on the potential impact of Trump’s threatened film industry tariffs. 

The Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Gaming said the province would work with industry and labour partners impacted by tariffs and “lead the way” in protecting the film industry. 

Nathan Fleet, with Hamilton Film Festival, said Canada should also focus more on funding and marketing its own films. 

“There is so much talent here, but very little funding and marketing dollars. So many indies live and die on the festival circuit, only to end up on a streamer earning cents and it’s because many never hear about them,” Fleet said in an emailed statement. 

This funding would flow back into the community through events such as theatrical screenings, which he said should be part of a film production’s strategy. This could trigger local spending in restaurants, cafés and transit lines, along with concession sales.

It is possible that, if implemented, the tariffs could trickle down to consumers.

University of pc28����film studies professor Charlie Keil told the pc28����Star theatres could consider adding surcharges for movies that face tariffs.

Landmark Cinemas said it is unclear if and how the tariffs would impact its Jackson Square theatre and their pricing. 

“We currently only have the information available to the public and can’t offer a comprehensive statement on what this means for our business,” Olivia Goemans, digital content and publicity manager, said in an emailed statement. 

Cheyenne Bholla is a reporter at The Hamilton Spectator. cbholla@thespec.com