US Production filming in Canada- Dumbfounded about Legal/ Tax/ Nationality of the Film

[Wendy Sanders McDonlad]

Admin: Forgive me to repost it here again, but the sub forum in the <Regional Group -Toronto East> has less than 5 posts in 10 years.  So i'm hoping to get some response here, but here it goes: 

Say, if my US production company, wants to make a short film in Canada, with Canadian actors. What do I need to do to make it work? I'm assuming many small scale  short films with shoestring or no budgets, sometimes will opt to pay the actors in cash/ under the table. But, in case the short film get notices in festivals, will I be in trouble when it comes to inquires from buyers/ festival rules?

Say, I just went to film in Canada, and grabbed some Canadian actors who volunteered for filming with no pay. Three of us made a short film. No budget, no Canadian producer. Is the short film eligible to submission anywhere at all? How, or am I violating any laws ?  

To make it even more complicated, how do I determine the Nationality of the the film then? Do I submit in the US category? To add salt to the wound, what if I hire a Chinese director then?  A US production company, filmed in Canada with Chinese National as director, with most creative control?  Michael Haneke's Amour 2012 was filed as a Austrian Film, even though most money came from France, and it was in French.  So in this case , lo and behold, will this hypothetical short film, be a Chinese film????

Most festivals, on their website determines the nationality based on at least 50% of the budget.But what if the film has no tangible budget, and what if hypothetically everyone in the crew works on a voluntary basis, with no pay. Do I submit to the US category or else???

What if it’s a US production company, but funded with investors from other countries? E.g. big Hollywood productions are funded by the investment banks, who then get their money from who knows where, Chinese, Saudi’s? Yet, it’s still an American film??? 

????? Confusing?!?

Sorry to sound rude, but I don't want your second guesses, or what you figure would be the case. 

I need someone with actual experiences please. No need to repeat whatever you find on the internet, as I  had read them myself.

Edited June 27, 2020 by Wendy Sanders McDonlad