Despite the stalemate between its rival technical unions, Quebec’s production sector has nonetheless lured some major film shoots from south of the border.

The Spiderwick Chronicles, based on the popular children’s fantasy novels, is preparing to shoot in Montreal in September at Mel’s Cité du Cinéma. The $110-million Paramount production boasts a screenplay by indie maverick John Sayles and will be helmed by Mark Waters (Mean Girls). The shoot will run until the end of January.

It is the first project from a major U.S. studio to shoot in the province since a turf war erupted between AQTIS and IATSE, following the latter’s arrival in early 2005. AQTIS claims that under Quebec law only its members can crew film and TV shoots in the province.

And yet, Spiderwick Chronicles will be crewed by IATSE. AQTIS says it allowed the U.S.-based upstart to have the shoot.

Montreal is also hosting the Jules Verne update Journey 3D, for Walden Media and New Line Cinema, which is being crewed by AQTIS.

Throughout the summer, both unions sat down for mediated talks with Senator Francis Fox in hope of ending the two-year stalemate – during which AQTIS offered IATSE the right to crew big-budget Hollywood productions, according to the former’s acting president and spokesperson Céline Daignault.

The offer followed a mail-in ballot of AQTIS members and would have granted IATSE rights on projects with more than 51% funding from one of the seven major U.S. studios, or their affiliates. AQTIS wanted to continue handling independent productions from the U.S., however.

IATSE – which has consistently refused to make any comment on the situation in Quebec – countered that American producers should be allowed to choose between IATSE or AQTIS – an idea AQTIS rejected, says Daignault. The three-month talks have since ended with an impasse.

‘We’re extremely disappointed,’ says Daignault. ‘We had made a good compromise offer and we thought this was a perfect opportunity to resolve the issue without bloodshed.’

Fox is also disappointed. ‘We met seven times over three months and had numerous phone calls,’ he says. ‘We are at an impasse. There is nothing new on the table to bring anyone back right now. If a deal had been struck, it would have brought certainty back to the marketplace.’

However, he says, ‘the shoots that are on right now are not threatened by the impasse.’

IATSE’s option now is to take the issue to the Quebec Labour Board for review. Here, IATSE and AQTIS can repeat their arguments in the dispute. But Fox warns that this will almost certainly prove a long and laborious process, and that might in turn bring IATSE back to the drawing board.

IATSE’s status as a union and its ability to operate is still under review by the Quebec government’s work relations commission. That decision is still pending. *