If the Hollywood actors and writers strikes drags on, Toronto’s local business community says it could put a damper on the city’s upcoming film festival.

There’s fear a strike by the Screen Actors Guild, who walked off the job at midnight Thursday, could stretch into the Toronto International Film Festival in September.

When the SAG workers joined the Writers Guild of America on the picket line, it halted scores of international productions and immediately stopped the promotional work actors carry out for already completed films.

Julie Kwiecinski of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business says the strike’s continuation would leave many Toronto businesses without the annual lift the festival provides.

She says even if TIFF goes on, without stars walking red carpets, the economic impacts would be tremendous.