Hawaii’s film and television business has collapsed in recent years, leaving crews, rental houses and local studios with little steady work and many workers scrambling for other gigs. The downturn has also hit vendors and services that depend on production spending, from caterers to hotels, and threatens the islands’ pool of skilled technicians and on‑location infrastructure.
As reported by KHON2, industry activity in the islands has fallen sharply — local leaders put the contraction at roughly 80% since before the pandemic — and national coverage shows big projects increasingly shooting off‑island. SFGATE and other outlets report that a string of cancellations and relocations left Hawaii with no meaningful major productions on the calendar this year.
Tax Credits And The Numbers
State reporting and local coverage lay out the economic math: estimated film tax‑credit claims dropped from about $68 million in 2022 to roughly $21 million in 2023, according to the Honolulu Star‑Advertiser. The Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism describes the program as a refundable credit worth 22% of qualified spending on Oʻahu and 27% on neighbor islands, but the incentive is limited by a $50 million annual payout cap — a structural limit many in the industry point to when comparing Hawaii to more generous programs elsewhere. DBEDT provides the official rules and application details for the credit.
Industry Response
Filmmakers, crews and unions have scrambled to organize a response, forming a new coalition to press the Legislature for changes and to protect local jobs. SFGATE quotes DBEDT’s Creative Industries chief Georja Skinner saying production spending has slipped — from roughly $400 million in stronger years to near $200 million recently — and that state officials are in active discussions with the governor’s office and lawmakers about ways to bring projects back and incentivize local hiring.
Lawmakers Take Small Steps
State tourism and economic officials have begun cobbling together targeted support: officials directed funding and created an HTA advisory effort to coordinate film promotion and production tourism strategy, actions local reporting has flagged as early steps. Major bills that would have raised or removed the program’s caps failed or stalled this year, so advocates say the short‑term measures are a stopgap while they push for bigger legislative fixes. Local coverage shows officials moving cautiously while they try to balance fiscal and industry interests.
How A Fix Might Work
Industry proposals include raising or eliminating the $50 million annual cap, removing per‑project limits, adding bonuses for productions that hire predominantly local crews, and speeding permitting — all designed to make Hawaii competitive with states and nations offering higher effective incentives. Reporting and analysis from local newsrooms show those ideas are politically contested: boosters say the return in jobs and visitor spending justifies the investment, while skeptics warn about fiscal costs and uncertain payback. Civil Beat and other outlets have traced the policy debate and legislative roadblocks this year.
For now, the islands’ film community is trying to make a simple pitch: with clearer, more competitive incentives and coordinated marketing, production work — and the wages and tourism lift it brings — can return. If lawmakers and agencies act quickly, supporters say crews and vendors will come back; if not, many of Hawaii’s most experienced production workers could eventually find steadier work elsewhere.
