The dual WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes resulted in almost every production pressing pause — not including the movies that have received approval to keep filming.
Hollywood came to a standstill in May 2023 when the Writers Guild of America announced their decision to strike after a labor dispute with the Alliance of Motion. (The AMPTP represents major companies such as Netflix, Amazon, Apple, Disney, Discovery-Warner, NBC Universal, Paramount and Sony.)
Some movies, however, were able to keep cameras rolling because their scripts were finished before writers authorized the strike. Two months later, SAG-AFTRA announced its own strike, which meant actors joined writers on the picket lines.
Amid the historic dual strikes, SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) released a list of guidelines for members which broke down which projects were allowed to keep filming and which weren’t. Members of the SAG union are prohibited from filming or promoting most movie and TV projects — past, present and future. This rule prevents actors from attending premieres and screenings in a promotional capacity, and they can’t promote any of their work on social media.
Actors are also prohibited from doing work that is on or off camera such as stunt work, motion capture work, stand-in work, camera tests and background work. Anyone hoping to become a member of the union in the future is expected to abide by the same guidelines or else they risk not being admitted to SAG-AFTRA.
SAG-AFTRA has since clarified that certain films — and TV shows — will be allowed to continue filming if they are approved for an Interim Agreement. An application will be accepted if the movie is not produced by a studio that is a member of the AMPTP and agrees to union guidelines. Projects that have lowest-budget contracts with SAG-AFTRA are allowed to continue working as well.
Films that have received the go ahead from SAG-AFTRA to keep filming included Death of a Unicorn, which stars Jenna Ortega and Paul Rudd. The upcoming film Mother Mary, which features Anne Hathaway, Michaela Coel and Hunter Schafer, has also resumed production after studio A24 reached out to SAG-AFTRA for an Interim Agreement.
Scroll on for every movie that has kept filming amid the ongoing strike:
Adult Best Friends
Aguadilla
American Deadbolt
American Nightmare
Anniversary
The Ar Racist
Armadilla
Beneath the Grass
Beyond the Walls
Bob Trevino Likes It
Bootyology
Bride Hard
The Cafone
Conduit
Death of a Unicorn
A Desert
Don’t Move
Dos Lados
Dream Devil
Dust Bunny
Exhibiting Forgiveness
F-Plus
Flight Risk
Fluxx
From Ashes
Ganymede
The Greatest Ever
Ick
Isaac
Just Breathe
The Killer’s Game
King Ivory
Legend of the White Dragon
Mother Mary
Mother, May I?
Mourning Rock
My Valentine Wedding
Osiris
Paradise and Lunch
Queen of the Ring
The Ritual
Rivals of Azmiah King
Roses on the Vine
Sell Out
The Short Game
Sod and Stubble
The Sound
The Summer Book
Sunfish (& Other Stories on Green Lake)
Superthief
The Killer’s Game
Til Death … Do You
The Tower
Transamazonia
Until He’s Destroyed
Untitled Jazzy Project
Untitled Rebuilding Project
The Watchers
Week End Escape Project
Wildcat
The Wilderness
The Yellow Tie
Young Claude
