Article 43: Quebec’s Film and Television Industry: Where Are the Opportunities for Actors Today?

Quebec has an impressive screen ecosystem for its size: French-language television, domestic cinema, foreign productions shooting here, commercials, dubbing, animation and new media.

But simply saying that we are living through a “golden age” would be too easy.

Recent data point instead to a highly active market that is changing quickly.

For actors, that distinction matters: activity exists, but it is not distributed evenly across every sector.

A strong market moving at several speeds

In 2024–2025, the total value of film and television production in Quebec reached about $2.98 billion.

That is substantial.

But 56% of that value came from foreign productions and production services, while Quebec independent screen production remained under pressure in some areas, particularly television.

Quebec cinema, meanwhile, showed more positive recent movement.

The lesson is therefore not simply “things are good” or “things are bad.”

It is more useful than that: opportunities are moving.

French-language television remains central

For many Quebec actors, daily series, annual series, limited series, comedies and dramas remain an essential source of work.

They also create professional continuity: the same casting, directing, writing and production teams often cross paths from one project to another.

But recent pressure on local television production is a reminder that no career can safely be built on the assumption that volume will keep rising forever.

In a tighter market, professional details matter even more: current materials, effective representation, availability, fast self-tape turnaround and a reputation for reliability.

Quebec cinema: less volume, sometimes more room for character

Film employs fewer performers overall than television, but it can offer longer collaborations and more substantial characters.

Independent shorts and features also remain important places to develop craft and build relationships with filmmakers.

I am therefore wary of a strategy that values a project only according to its broadcaster or fee.

A small film with a strong role, a solid script and a serious team can have enormous artistic value.

Foreign productions represent a major share of activity

Montreal and Quebec attract many international shoots because of the crews, infrastructure, locations and production mechanisms available here.

For local performers, that can create roles in English-language and international films and series.

Some leading roles may arrive already attached to a production, but local casting can still create many opportunities: supporting roles, guest roles, day players, professionals, police officers, doctors, location-specific characters and other needs.

For an actor who can work naturally in English, this market is far from marginal.

Bilingualism opens two circuits — if you can demonstrate it

Montreal has a distinctive situation: two important language markets overlap without being identical.

Writing “bilingual” on your résumé is not enough.

If you want to work in English, the rest of your materials need to prove it: a convincing scene or reel, an appropriate profile and English natural enough to receive direction and sustain a scene.

An accent can be an asset, a limitation or simply a character trait depending on the project.

The goal is not necessarily to erase it.

The goal is to know precisely what you can offer.

Voice, dubbing and digital performance: adjacent markets, not automatic Plan Bs

Quebec also has significant dubbing, narration, voice-commercial, animation and video-game sectors.

These areas can diversify a career, but each requires specific skills.

Dubbing demands reading, synchronization and rhythmic precision.

Performance capture can require a very different use of the body from a conventional shoot.

Effort sounds and long vocal sessions also bring their own demands.

If one of these markets interests you, train for it.

Do not assume that on-camera acting experience automatically covers everything.

Small projects remain an essential laboratory

Many professional relationships begin on shorts, student films and first independent productions.

When you are starting out — or when you are more experienced but want to explore a different register — these projects can offer what larger productions do not always provide: meaningful screen time and a more developed character.

Still evaluate the script, team, conditions, safety and rights as discussed in the previous article.

“Small project” should never mean “project without rules.”

Public funding influences what appears on our sets

SODEC, Telefilm Canada, the Canada Media Fund and other organizations participate in the financing ecosystem for screen work.

For an actor, those structures can seem distant from daily work.

Yet they directly influence which projects are made, with what budgets, in which languages and under which production criteria.

You do not need to become a cultural-financing specialist.

But a basic understanding of the ecosystem helps explain why some years produce more of one kind of content than another.

In 2026, the Quebec government launched its 2026–2031 audiovisual strategy, reflecting how financing, platforms, discoverability and international competition have become recognized structural issues.

The total value of the industry does not become your income

This distinction is essential.

A multibillion-dollar industry can coexist with very quiet months for an individual actor.

The overall budget is spread across hundreds of professions, studios, equipment, visual effects, post-production, infrastructure and services.

An active sector creates possibilities.

It does not create automatic stability for every artist.

A realistic Quebec strategy in five moves

1. Stay very strong in your primary market. Headshots, reel, representation and profiles should fit roles you can genuinely access today.
2. Use bilingualism when it is real. Add a second circuit instead of abandoning the first.
3. Do not dismiss small projects. A good role in a strong short film can be a better artistic investment than a tiny appearance in a major production.
4. Develop an adjacent skill if it genuinely interests you. Voice, theatre, performance capture, writing or creating your own work can diversify your path.
5. Create when the waiting becomes too long. Writing a scene, shooting a short or organizing a reading guarantees nothing, but it lets you keep practising when the market slows.

In short

Quebec’s screen industry remains strong, but it is not growing uniformly.

Local television is under greater pressure, Quebec film has shown recent improvement and foreign production now represents a substantial share of activity.

For an actor, the best response is neither pessimism nor euphoria.

It is intelligent diversification: be highly legible in your primary market, understand English-language circuits, develop a few complementary skills and remain artistically active when volume fluctuates.

With this article, we finish the business-and-industry section of the guide.

The final section may be the most important for longevity: how do you protect the person who has to live through years of uncertainty, judgment, intense work and waiting?

References: Institut de la statistique du Québec and Government of Quebec, publications consulted in 2026.

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