Ottawa’s movie and TV industry has hit the fast-forward button after concerns about possible tariffs caused a slow start. The Ottawa Film Office says there are eight productions happening over the next few weeks in the city, which are a mix of film and television. There have been 24 productions shot here in 2025 so far. CEO and Film Commissioner Sandrine Pechels de Saint Sardos says there has been an increase in the number of productions. “Compared to last summer, there is a 25 per cent increase, which is huge, it’s great,” she explains. “Summer is going to be as busy as ever, even busier than 2022, which was our record year.” One of the productions happening this week is Gang of Hockey, a French-Canadian television show in its third season. Producer Kristel Viduka lives in Ottawa and says that she chose to film the series here because of the opportunities. “I think Ottawa has so much potential for production. We have landscaping, facilities, well-trained crews.” Earlier this week, the TV series Murdoch Mysteries could be seen filming near Parliament Hill. Pechels de Saint Sardos says productions from both Canada and the United States are here, despite a slow start to the year caused by the threat of tariffs on the film industry. “It brought some uncertainty to the film industry, not just in Ottawa, in Canada, but also internationally,” she explains. “But then, when I was at the Cannes Film Festival, people were optimistic again. They were like, you know what? We gotta go with the flow.” It’s a $120-million industry for Ottawa, and while it’s not a large market compared to some Canadian cities like Vancouver and Toronto, the city is known for its holiday film locations. John Koensgen, the president of Ottawa’s ACTRA branch, says its members are feeling optimistic. “If it keeps up like this, we’ll have a great year in town,” he said in an interview with CTV News Ottawa. It’s not certain whether the film industry will eventually see tariffs or how those will work. Pechels de Saint Sardos says there remains optimism. “I think we need to stay strong, and we need to have a cooler head on and grow our business as strong as ever,” she explains.
