Aloha mai kākou,
On behalf of the Hawai‘i Film Office, we are pleased to present the latest edition of the Hawaii Production Index, your official guide to film, television and digital media production in Hawaii.
With more than a century of film production in the Hawaiian Islands as our legacy, the talented and creative members of Hawai‘i’s seasoned film industry stand ready to assist in your next creative venture. As part of that production team, the Hawai‘i Film Office celebrates 39 years serving as the central point of contact in support of all film production and administration of the state’s successful tax incentive program.
We are currently working with our state Legislature to extend our refundable production tax credit program beyond December 31, 2018, its current sunset date. We are confident that the Legislature and the Administration recognize what a critical tool the tax credit program is in keeping Hawaii competitive as a world-class filming destination. There is no doubt how valuable this industry is to the state’s economy, what it does to support our visitor industry, provide well-paying jobs to our Hawai‘i residents, opportunities for our small business community, and all the while serving as a clean industry that works well within our natural and cultural environment.
As testament to the success of our tax credit program, Hawai‘i has most recently played grateful host to Kong: Skull Island directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts and just released March 10; Jumanji, starring and executive produced by Dwayne Johnson and directed by Jake Kasdan; Snatched, the mother-daughter comedy starring Goldie Hawn and Amy Schumer; and of course our beloved hit TV show, Hawaii Five-0, which is finishing its 7th Season filming in the Islands. Many other film and television projects have joined the ranks of these big productions to take advantage of all Hawai‘i has to offer.
Largely due to the success of Guidelines to Filming in Sensitive Hawai‘i Locations section found here on this website, the Hawaiian Media Maker community is currently working on an expanded guidebook, called The Hawaiian Handbook, that will help educate the production community about why Hawaii is such a special place from a native Hawaiian and natural environment perspective. We hope to have the Handbook completed by next year.
All of this hopefully demonstrates to producers from around the world that we are serious about promoting Hawai‘i as one of the world's premiere filming destinations.
With this guide as your comprehensive resource, you'll see why we are so proud of our Islands, our talented production professionals and the growing industry they support.
E komo mai, welcome.
Donne Dawson
State Film Commissioner
Hawai‘i Film Office/Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism