The organizers of the Canadian Screen Awards, the country’s Oscars and Emmys, are to end nomination eligibility for foreign talent, including American actors, starting with the 2026 edition.
“In order to best celebrate and honor Canadians working on Canadian productions, individuals must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada to be eligible for a Canadian Screen Award,” the Academy said as tightened eligibility and voting rule changes unveiled Wednesday come amid rising U.S.-Canada diplomatic and trade tensions.
Making CSAs eligibility exclusively available to homegrown talent or those with residency follows a rise in Canadian nationalism countrywide after U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff and annexation threats. Honoring the best in Canadian film and TV in past years occasionally had CSA trophies going to Americans and other foreign talent as productions with Hollywood actors, or U.S. streamers investing in Canadian projects, aim to drive increased international sales.
During the 2025 CSAs, Cate Blanchett won for best lead performance in a comedy for her role in Guy Maddin’s Rumours, and The Apprentice, a Canada-Ireland-Denmark co-production and a Donald Trump origin drama, earned the best film prize. Also, the best performance in a lead role trophy went to Sebastian Stan for his portrayal of Trump while the best supporting actor win was awarded to Jeremy Strong for his performance as Roy Cohn.
As Canadian talent and content increasingly figures on the world stage, other Canadian Academy rule changes include introducing four new “Spotlight” categories to honor Canadian directors, writers, performers and producers who work on international TV series made and broadcast in Canada.
And while Trump’s threat ahead of Cannes to impose a 100 percent tariff on films made outside of the U.S., including Canada, has faded with no concrete policy action, the turbulence of the U.S. president’s global trade war is still felt by a Canadian entertainment industry dependent for jobs and investment on Hollywood production hubs in Toronto and Vancouver.
The CSAs will also launch a Creator of the Year prize to honor a Canadian digital creator whose original work has found significant online reach on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Twitch and other digital and social media platforms. ACTRA, the country’s actors union, welcomed the rule changes to make eligibility exclusively available to Canadian citizens or permanent residents north of the border.
“At a time when Canada’s cultural sovereignty is under pressure, the Canadian Screen Awards are uniquely positioned to celebrate Canadian excellence, with Canadian performers rightfully at the center. This decision is a vital investment in Canada’s cultural future,” the actors union said in a statement.
But Allan Ungar, the Canadian director of London Calling, an action comedy starring Josh Duhamel and Jeremy Ray Taylor and premiering this weekend in theaters, argued the rule changes, while supporting the Academy’s mandate to promote local talent, threatens to limit the sale and promotional reach of homegrown movies in international markets.
“It’s a little disappointing, especially as we’re making Canadian films by Canadians, and often we have to feature American actors to get them financed and sold worldwide,” Ungar told The Hollywood Reporter.