As Québec heads into stronger pandemic lockdown restrictions tomorrow (Jan. 9), film and TV production has been permitted to continue.

The quarantine measures – announced Wednesday by Premier François Legault – will see all of the province on maximum alert with a curfew in effect between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m. with the exception of the Cree Territory of James Bay and Nunavik. The new move also includes the closure of non-essential business such as cinemas and will last for four weeks.

“Québec’s new measures will include film and TV cast and crew as essential workers, meaning they will be allowed to be on set during curfew hours if necessary,” Louis-Julien Dufresne, attaché de presse for Québec Minister of Culture and Communications Nathalie Roy, told Playback Daily. He added that the province “takes great pride in its film and TV industry, and [its] work is necessary for our general well-being.”

Dufresne also added that a form for employers, which is available on quebec.ca, “would greatly facilitate the cast and crew travel from and to sets.” Production teams must continue to respect current workplace COVID-19 guidelines.

“Production of feature films and television dramas has resumed since last July and the fact that no COVID outbreaks have occurred on set has had a major impact, I am sure on the government’s decision,” Association québécoise de la production médiatique (AQPM) president and CEO Hélène Messier told Playback Daily. “Everybody working on sets, directors, actors, technicians have shown a great deal of discipline in complying with health measures.”

Messier also said that one of her main concerns is the soon-to-end Short-Term Compensation Fund for Canadian Audiovisual Productions (STCF) administered by Telefilm Canada. It offers Canadian audiovisual productions without insurance against COVID-related delay or stoppage support for those shooting, which is set to close on March 31, 2021.

“New productions that should start shooting over the course of the next weeks, but were supposed to finish shooting after March 31st, won’t be able to do so because they won’t be fully covered by the federal measure. Therefore it is very important that the extension of the program be announced very soon since producers are already preparing.”

Of note, season two of Sphere Media-produced medical drama Transplant is among the Canadian series set to begin shooting in Montreal next month.

Véronique Mercier, TVA Group VP Communications, also said that just in January and February, TVA is taping about 20 original productions in Quebec in collaboration with different producers. Some projects include Star Académie, Alertes, Drôles de Véronic and daily show La Tour with Patrick Huard.

Speaking about ACTRA Montreal’s in-production list, which lists productions that have signed agreements with ACTRA, the organization’s president Simon Peacock said that as far as the organization knows, everything that’s currently in production is continuing and that it hasn’t heard anything on the contrary.

“We are thrilled with [this] news,” Québec film and TV commissioner Chanelle Routhier said in a statement lauding the government support. “We also want to thank all of the audiovisual sector from the province of Québec. This announcement is also possible because of their amazing work! Everyone has always made sure to respect all of the sanitary measures and protocols which have been put into place since filming resumed in the province of June 8th, 2020.”

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