"Children of Invention" Screening at HIFF '09

OK, so I've totally neglected this blog, but what did you expect?  I'm not in Hawaii anymore...  :(

Anyway, since it seems that there are still a decent number of visitors to this poor dead blog (I guess lots of you still want to shoot in Hawaii and get production tax credits...good luck with that!), I'm going to use it shamelessly to promote the feature film I produced, "Children of Invention," which premiered at Sundance earlier this year and will be playing at the 2009 Hawaii International Film Festival. Showtimes are:

* Mon, 10/19, 7:00pm @ Dole Cannery Theatres
* Wed, 10/21, 1:15pm @ Dole Cannery Theatres

>> BUY TICKETS HERE! <<

In "Children of Invention," two young children living outside Boston are left to fend for themselves when their mother gets embroiled in an illegal pyramid scheme and disappears. The film was written and directed by Tze Chun (Filmmaker Magazine's "25 New Faces of Independent Film"), and is loosely based on his Sundance '07 short "Windowbreaker" (which also screened at HIFF '07).

We've won 10 film festival prizes and have been getting some great reviews. What's more, the film is about a timely issue: Ponzi schemes. In fact, the Hawaii tax dept. just officially made Ponzi scheme theft losses deductible!  So come check out the film! Tze, I, and the other producer Trevor Sagan will be at both screenings. 

For more info, go to http://www.childrenofinvention.com/. And join our Facebook group!

And be sure to check out some of the other great indie films at HIFF this year. I recommend: White on Rice * Prince of Broadway * Fruit Fly * No Impact Man * Ajumma! Are You Krazy??? * I Don't Sleep, I Dream * Layover, On the Shore * Parallel Adele * Ten For Granpa

[P.S. Total side note: I dunno what's happened to Blogger since I last used it, but for some reason, this new post is screwing up the blog template, so all the stuff that used to be neatly placed in the column to the right has been smooshed all the way down and my "share it" buttons below aren't showing up properly.  Ugh, I hate an ugly blog/site, but whatareyagonnado?]

Princess Ka'iulani Film Causing Stir

A poster mock-up with the film's former controversial title

From its controversial titles to its non-Hawaiian star to its use of Iolani Palace, the $9 million Princess Ka'iulani film that's being produced by Matador Pictures and Trailblazer Films and is currently shooting on Oahu is causing a big stir among Native Hawaiians, state senators, and others.

Let's start with the title controversy: originally entitled "Barbarian Princess" (ironically so, since this was how the San Francisco Chronicle referred to the princess back in the day), the title was changed to "The Last Princess" to appease those who found the former title offensive (for obvious reasons). However, this new title is now an issue because Ka'iulani was not in fact the last princess--that designation, some say, belongs to the still-living royal descendant Abigail Kawananakoa.

Next is the casting of non-Hawaiian Q'orianka Kilcher (The New World) to play the half-Hawaiian, half-Scottish princess, despite director Marc Forby vowing to cast a Native Hawaiian in the role. The film also stars Barry Pepper (Flags of Our Fathers, The Green Mile, Saving Private Ryan), Will Patton (A Mighty Heart, Remember the Titans, Armageddon), and Shaun Evans (Being Julia, Cashback).

Then there's the use of the sacrosanct Iolani Palace, normally off-limits to commercial filming. People are worried (with reason!) that a rough-and-tumble film crew will damage the palace's fragile and valuable contents.

And of course there's the whole representation/accuracy issue in terms of what the film will depict. The filmmakers say that there is some dramatic license taken--it is, after all, a narrative feature and not a documentary.

In the latest news, a group of state senators led by Clayton Hee just issued a letter to state film commissioner Donne Dawson complaining about the film and questioning its use of the state's production tax credits. Said Hee, "The grade-C movie being filmed at Iolani Palace should properly describe what it is, an inaccurate and insensitive depiction, an extension of the treatment of others towards the host culture at the expense of the treatment of each of us taxpayers." Dawson said that the film had hired "several Hawaiian consultants who are experts in Hawaiian language and culture."

>> Filming begins on movie about Princess Kaiulani [Honolulu Advertiser, 3/10/08]

>> Princess Ka'iulani film outrages some Hawaiians [Honolulu Advertiser, 3/20/08]

>> Senators seek overthrow of ‘Princess’ film tax help [Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 3/25/08]

RELATED POSTS:

>> Desperately Seeking Kaiulani

>> Princess Kaiulani Found

>> Features Galore in Hawaii

Venerated Honolulu Arthouse Theater Demolished

(Photo by Wendy Mitchell for indieWIRE)

The old Varsity theater in Mo'ili'ili was demolished yesterday due to deteriorating conditions. Built in 1939, the theater was the first home of the Hawaii International Film Festival as well as the Cinema Paradise Film Festival. For decades, the Varsity screened arthouse, foreign, and other non-mainstream films, but shut down operations last summer. A parking lot will be built in its place.

>> Varsity theater torn down for parking lot [Honolulu Advertiser, 3/25/08]
>> Dangerously deteriorated [Honolulu Advertiser, 3/8/08]
>> Cinema Treasures: Varsity Twin Cinema

RELATED POSTS:
>> Musings on "Best of Honolulu 2005"
>> Hawaii's Market for Movies
>> Hilo's Palace Theater Goes Sundance

Tax Credit Boosts Hawaii Film Spending to Record High

Yes, ahem, as predicted, the 15-20% refundable film tax credit that took effect in July '06 boosted in-state production expenditures to a record $200 million last year. The previous record was set in 2004, when $164 million was spent in Hawaii, thanks in large part to three network television series ("Lost," "Hawaii," and "North Shore") that shot simultaneously.

Hawaii was very popular with studio features last year, hosting the latest "Indiana Jones" and "Pirates of the Caribbean" installments, an upcoming Judd Apatow-produced romcom called "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," and "Tropic Thunder," a comedy helmed and headlined by Ben Stiller.

Let's hope our local crew peeps banked enough wages in '07 to float through the still ongoing WGA strike that halted production on "Lost."

>> Hawaii film industry brings in $200 million [Hnl Advertiser, 1/20/08]
>> Hollywood spends record amount in Hawaii [AP via KPUA, 1/21/08]

RELATED POSTS:
>> WGA Strike Hits "Lost" HQ
>> 2006 Was a Very Good Year
>> Hawaii Ranks #5 in Top 10 Places to Shoot in the US
>> Revised Film Tax Credit Forms & New FAQs
>> More Film Tax Incentive Success Stories

Brett Wagner's "Chief" Makes Sundance Cut

Chief Sielu Avea plays Chief Semu Fatutoa (Photo: Christina Simpkins)

Honolulu-based director Brett Wagner's short film, "Chief," will premiere at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. The film tells the story of Semu Fatutoa, who drives a taxi in Honolulu and slowly forgets his old life as a tribal chief in Samoa. Little does he know, his old life is looking for him.

"Chief" was shot on Super 16 (a rarity for an indie film in Hawaii) and is one of 22 dramatic U.S. shorts selected to screen at Sundance. I believe it's the first locally produced film to screen in competition there in over a decade (since "Picture Bride," 1995), and also the first locally produced short film to ever screen in competition at the prestigious fest. (If someone knows different, lemme know.)

Congrats Brett, Dana, Paul, Grace, et al!

Brett Wagner

>> Sundance Film Festival Announces 2008 Short Film Program [Press Release, 12/5/07]

RELATED POSTS:
>> In Production: Super 16 Short "Chief"
>> Hawaii Films at HIFF
>> 'Ohina Short Film Showcase: Aug 4-5

In Town: David Lynch (!) and More

Don't miss genius auteur David Lynch's free talk at UH on Tues, 12/4 @ 1:30pm!

OK, OK, so he won't be blabbing about his genius films (Eraserhead, Blue Velvet, Twin Peaks, Mulholland Drive, Inland Empire, etc.) exactly, but rather something about "Consciousness Based Education, Creativity and the Brain," courtesy of UH's Transcendental Meditation (TM) Club. A practitioner of TM for decades, UH is one stop on Lynch's college tour to promote TM. Refreshments will be served. Just don't drink the Kool-Aid.

Here's some other stuff going on around town:

• Tues, 11/27, 7:15pm: Screening of Paul Booth's "Empty Streets" + Q&A with muse Ely Kalikane at rRed Elephant Cafe, 1144 Bethel St, $5.
• Fri-Sat, 11/30-12/1, 7pm: Hawaii Ocean Film Fest at University of Hawaii at Manoa, Spalding Auditorium, $8 general, $5 students/faculty.
• Tues, 12/4, 1:30-3:30pm: David Lynch, John Hagelin (the quantum physicist featured in "What the Bleep Do We Know" and "The Secret") plus other local speakers will talk about TM at UH-Manoa Campus Center, Rms 307-308.

Square USA is Back (Sorta...)

Avatar Reality, Inc., a game development co. founded a little over a year ago, is hoping to revive Hawaii's gaming industry with Blue Mars, an online multiplayer game set to launch next year. The co. had hired dozens of former Hawaii-based Square USA employees who'd been cast to the wind after the failure of "Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within."

>> Blue Mars [Hnl Star-Bulletin, 11/23/07]

UPDATE: Video game industry adds $21.3M to Hawaii economy [Hnl Advertiser, 11/27/07]

RELATED POSTS:
>> "Final Fantasy" Not So Final
>> "Final Fantasy": The Film Movement
>> Zoom Around Oahu in Atari's New Video Game
>> UH Unveils New Render Farm
>> PipelineFX CEO Quits

Films on Hawaiian Martial Arts & Female Surfing Get PIC Grants

Pacific Islanders in Communications recently announced the recipients of this year's R&D and Production Awards. The non-profit group, whose mission is to "support, advance, and develop Pacific Island media content and talent that results in a deeper understanding of Pacific Island history, culture, and contemporary challenges" gave a total of $60K to two documentaries:

• "Pa Kui A Holo - Kauai's Warriors," produced by T Lulani Arquette - The R&D Award was given to this film about Pa Kui a Holo-Kauai, a Kauai-based organization of Hawaiian men who practice lua, an ancient Hawaiian martial art.
• "Women on Waves," produced by Karin Williams - The Production Award was given to this film about the culture and history of Native Hawaiian women surfers.

>> PIC group awards $60,000 for film projects [Hnl Advertiser, 11/21/07]

RELATED POSTS:
>> Wanted: Film Proposals By & About Pacific Islanders
>> 2006 Short Film & Scholarship $ From PIC

Seeking Hapa Actor for "Kung Fu" Remake

Legendary Pictures (Superman Returns, 300) is enlisting the help of the Academy for Creative Media in seeking a lead actor for its remake of Kung Fu, the popular 70s TV series starring David Carradine. As part of its Master Class series, the ACM will be holding an open call for the lead role of CAINE:

Date: Fri, 11/30
Time: 4-7pm
Place: UH Manoa, 2550 Campus Road, Crawford 115
Seeking: Hapa male, 20-30, martial arts experience preferred but not required

For more details, please go to:
>> ACM to Hold Open Call for Lead Actor For Adaptation of Kung Fu
>> Kung Fu Open Call (Note: this site has details on open calls being held in L.A., Vancouver, Singapore, and Hong Kong, as well)

WGA Strike Hits "Lost" HQ

Watching "Lost" on ABC.com

About 20 Hawaii-based WGA members marched down to the Hawaii Film Studio last week to picket in a show of solidarity with fellow mainland writers. The studio is home to ABC's "Lost" production. "Lost" became an immediate hit when it premiered in 2004, and its interweaving sci-fi storylines have translated nicely to alternate platforms like the Internet, iPods, and cell phones.

The show has been a pioneer in alternate distribution, which is precisely the issue that the WGA is striking over. In fact, "Lost" producers had already pounded out a deal with writers for "Lost: Missing Pieces," a series of "mobisodes" that reveal additional details about the show's characters. According to the New York Times, writers were paid $800 flat for each mobisode in exchange for the studio's right to run them on Verizon cellphones for 13 weeks. After the 13 weeks, any repeats on any media will earn writers residuals equal to 1.2 to 2% of the license fees paid to studios.

Some hope that the "Lost" mobisode deal will serve as a model during contract negotiations that resume tomorrow. However, the WGA is seeking alternate media residuals worth 2.5% of license fees.

>> ‘Lost’ set picketed by writers [Hnl Star-Bulletin, 11/20/07]

>> Hollywood Writers Picket Diamond Head Set of 'Lost' [KHNL, 11/20/07]

>> Webisodes of ‘Lost’: Model Deal for Writers? [NY Times, 11/20/07]
>> Strike Takes Out 'Lost' [NY Post, 11/23/07]

RELATED POSTS:

>> Get "Lost" for Free on ABC.com
>> Distribution, Distribution, Distribution

>> More Eye Candy in Hawaii (on "Lost")

Free HIFF Seminar on Hawaii's 15-20% Tax Credit

Come hear me and some other more official-type folks yammer on about Hawaii's 15-20% film tax credit at a FREE seminar:

• When: Sat, 10/20 @ 4:30pm
• Where: Dole Cannery Theaters
• Who: Donne Dawson & Mynette Louie (Hawaii Film Office) + Johnnel Nakamura & Joseph Tichy (Hawaii Dept. of Taxation)
• What: The Hawaii film tax credit seminar is being run as part of the Hawaii International Film Festival. We'll give you an overview of what the credit is, what it's done to Hawaii's film landscape so far, and how to claim it. We'll let you know what common mistakes to avoid when filling out the tax credit application forms, and walk you through a case study to help you better understand how the credit works. Finally, we'll open the floor to questions (even nitty-gritty ones specific to your production).

If you are a producer, production manager, production accountant, or anyone looking to learn more about the practical use and application of this tax credit, this seminar is not to be missed.

>> Click here to reserve your FREE ticket
(Note: there is a $1 charge for tickets reserved online. You can call the HIFF box office at 808-550-8457 for a truly free ticket)

15% No Longer Enough

Remember the days when a 15% tax credit was enough to lure a production to your neck of the woods? Well, apparently, that's no longer the case.

New York City, for example, has been pretty quiet lately. Its 15% combined city/state tax credit had generated record-breaking production levels shortly after it took effect, but the state is now losing production to nearby states with bigger, shinier new tax credits like Connecticut (30%), Rhode Island (25%), Pennsylvania (25%), Massachusetts (25%), and New Jersey (20%), and to not-so-nearby stalwart production states New Mexico (25%) and Louisiana (25%).

My next point has been made ad nauseum (I feel like I've read the same "film tax credits are great" article a thousand times...and if I read another "Lights, Camera, (state)!" title, I will surely barf), but again, just to illustrate the sudden impact a generous film tax credit can have on a state: before CT enacted its 30% credit in July 2006, only $1 million was spent there by productions in the first 6 months of 2006. Since July 2006 (a little over a year ago), $300 million has been spent there.

The Canadian provinces, which pioneered production tax credits, know this numbers game. They have been losing business to the states ever since Louisiana passed its original tax credit. Nova Scotia, for one, isn't going to take it lying down. The province recently passed a 50% production tax credit, with an extra 10% off for filming in rural areas...that's 60% (yes, 6-0-per-cent)!

Makes you wonder how long before Hawaii's (apparently piddling) 15-20% tax credit stops attracting productions. And then what do we do? Raise the tax credit to 25%? 30%? 60%? 100%?

>> Movies stampede to states with generous tax incentives [The Journal News, 9/16/07]
>> Lights, Camera, Norwalk! [Norwalk Citizen-News, 10/11/07]
>> With glitter and gleaming tax credits, Boston draws the stars [Boston Globe, 10/10/07]
>> Facilities fuel New Mexico production boom [The Hollywood Reporter, 9/18/07]
>> After a busy 2007, next year looks thin for moviemaking [Chicago Tribune, 9/2/07]
>> Soaring loonie causes uncertainty for Canadian film and television production [The Canadian Press, 9/23/07]
>> Nova Scotia film tax credit could take business from New Brunswick, say producers [CBC News, 9/18/07]

RELATED POSTS:
>> 2006 Was a Very Good Year
>> Hawaii Ranks #5 in Top 10 Places to Shoot in the US
>> >Revised Film Tax Credit Forms & New FAQs
>> Here Come the Film Tax Credit Scandals
>> More Film Tax Incentive Success Stories
>> New Mexico + Hollywood = "Tamalewood"
>> NYC: Victim of Its Own Success (Again)?
>> Everyone Else Is Doing It...
>> Hollywood Returns to Big, Easy Incentives
>> States Cannibalizing States
>> Beantown as Tinseltown
>> Our Loss is Their Gain
>> Incentive Mania

Here Come the Film Tax Credit Scandals

I guess it was inevitable that the gobs of cash and Hollywood glitz brought on by film tax credits would generate scandal sooner or later. Well, recently, the film tax credit programs of two states--Louisiana and Pennsylvania--became marred, respectively, by a corrupt ex-film commissioner taking bribes and a lobbying violation allegation fueled by partisan politics.

Earlier this month in Louisiana, now the number-three state for film production, Mark Smith, former director of the Louisiana Governor's Office of Film and Television Development, pleaded guilty in federal court to accepting cash bribes from a film producer in exchange for approving inflated production expenditure reports. The producer in question is allegedly Malcolm Petal of LIFT Productions, formerly Louisiana's largest film and television production studio with a slate that included feature films "Bug," "Mr. Brooks," "Premonition," and "Factory Girl." LIFT's plans to construct a $185 million film studio has been put on hold, and the company has laid off most of its staff. Smith apologized for his actions, saying that he took bribes in excess of $67,000 during a time when he was financially vulnerable. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 5, and faces up to 15 years in prison and $250,000 in fines.

Back east in Pennsylvania, Republican State Senator Jeffrey Piccola has accused two lobbyists of violating the state's lobbying disclosure law by not properly registering as official lobbyists for Lionsgate. Leslie Merrill McCombs and former Democratic Rep. Mike Veon had both lobbied on the studio's behalf to increase Pennsylvania's pot of film tax credits to $75 million, but failed to first register this fact with the state. McCombs defended herself by saying this was a "technical and brief noncompliance" that she later corrected. However, Piccola plans to hire a private investigator to dig further, and has accused the attractive McCombs of using her personal relationship with Governor Rendell to further her tax credit agenda.

>> Ex-recruiter pleads guilty in LIFT case [Advocate, 9/8/07]
>> State's film recruiter guilty of taking bribes [Times-Picayune, 9/8/07]
>> Guv, the blonde & lobbying law [Philly.com, 9/19/07]
>> 2 face investigation for Pa. film-lobbying role [Philadelphia Inquirer, 9/25/07]
>> GOP hires private eye to probe movie makers' tax breaks [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 9/26/07]

RELATED POSTS:
>> Tax Credit Scandal Worries Louisiana Film Industry
>> Hollywood Returns to Big, Easy Incentives
>> Pennsylvania: Screw Tax Credits, We Give Cash!
>> Beware of Film Scams

Free UH Master Class on Korean Film Industry

"The Trouble with Romance" (2007) directed by Gene Rhee, one of this year's Lab attendees

In conjunction with the second Korean Filmmaker's Development Lab co-sponsored by the Korean Film Council (KOFIC) and the University of Hawaii's Academy for Creative Media (ACM), there will be a free master class this Friday on the Korean film industry:

When: Friday, 8/31, 3pm
Where: UH Manoa, Crawford Hall Room 115
Who: Jonathan H. Kim, producer of "Silmido" and "Virgin Snow;" Jooick Lee, CEO of Boram Entertainment and producer of "Seven Swords;" and Denise Hwang, KOFIC International department manager.

FYI, the 5 filmmakers chosen for this year's lab were: Nathan Adolfson, Christina Choe, Jeyun Choi, Samuel Kiehoon Lee, and Gene Rhee. Read more about them here.

>> Free master class on Korean film industry at UH Friday [Hnl Advertiser, 8/27/07]

RELATED POSTS:
>> KOFIC Filmmakers Development Lab '07 Seeks Applicants
>> Korean Filmmakers Development Lab Fellows Announced
>> Calling All Korean & Korean American Filmmakers
>> HIFF Report: Asian American Invasion
>> Asian American Film Festivals
>> Korea Fever at LVHIFF

"Tropic Thunder" Progress Report

On the set of "Tropic Thunder" (Source: Kanaka Pacifica on flickr)

Kauai is apparently continuing to welcome Ben Stiller-helmed comedy "Tropic Thunder" with open arms (which is more than can be said for the Superferry). Shooting began in July and is scheduled to complete in October. Sadly, Owen Wilson, who was supposed to come aboard the production for a few weeks, will not be coming due to recent unfortunate events.

>> Kauai Welcomes Hollywood [Hnl Star-Bulletin, 8/28/07]

RELATED POSTS:
>> Big Hollywood Feature Scouting Kauai
>> Features Galore in Hawaii
>> Feature Films Lured by Hawaii's 15-20% Tax Credit
>> Films Set in Hawaii Make Big Bucks
>> Famous Hawaii Locations

Aloha "Flight 29 Down"

Discovery Kids show "Flight 29 Down" has come to an end--the series finale aired last weekend after a successful 2-year run. The show turned out to be a great opportunity for young local actors B.K. Cannon, Tani Lynn Fujimoto and Blade Rogers, who had recurring roles; local crew members who had the opportunity to sharpen their production skills; and Hawaii Film Partners, the local co-producer of the show.

>> The end is near for 'Flight 29 Down' [Hnl Advertiser, 8/24/07]

"Lost" Looking for Blond Babies

"Lost" extras casting director Julie Carlson is seeking babies to play "Aaron," the son of "Claire," played by Emilie De Ravin. If you have an 8 to 15-pound baby with blond hair, blue eyes, and a slightly round face, and you don't mind subjecting him/her (and yourself) to the rigors of production, e-mail a photo and your phone number to lostcastinghawaii@gmail.com.

>> On A Baby quest [Hnl Advertiser, 8/21/07]

Revised Film Tax Credit Forms & New FAQs

Hawaii's 15-20% Motion Picture, Digital Media, & Film Production Income Tax Credit (Act 88) has been in effect for over a year now. Since it took effect, the Hawaii Film Office has gotten many specific questions about the credit: how to claim it, what counts as a "qualified production cost," who can claim it, etc. We recently compiled the most frequently asked questions (FAQs) and posted them (15-20% Tax Credit FAQs) on the Tax Incentive Section of the HFO site.

We also revised the Production Registration Form (PRF) and Hawaii Production Report (HPR). Major changes include:

• A detailed preliminary budget is no longer required to be attached and submitted with the PRF. Only the aggregate budget figures (total, Hawaii, Oahu, neighbor islands, etc.) need to be reported on the PRF itself. (A detailed expenditure report is still required with the HPR.)
• A detailed list of costs paid by Act 221-raised funds is no longer required with the PRF (but is still required with the HPR).
• A "production entity" in charge of managing physical and/or post-production must be listed in addition to a "filing entity" (the production and filing entity may be one in the same).
• A list of Hawaii vendors must now be submitted with the HPR.
• The expenditure report submitted with the HPR must reflect a certain level of detail as illustrated in one of two Excel templates posted on the Tax Incentive Section of the HFO site: one for film & tv productions, and one for commercials & music videos. You may fill them out directly, or you may use your own budget formats as long as the detail provided is equivalent to the detail found in these templates.

We have also revised the Instructions for Claiming the 15-20% Tax Credit. Please review these new and revised documents by clicking the individual links above, or by visiting Tax Incentive Section of the Hawaii Film Office site.

*PLEASE DISCARD ANY OLD FORMS AND USE THESE REVISED ONES*

>> HawaiiFilmOffice.com: Tax Incentive Section

Patsy Mink Documentary Seeks Your Help

Punahou and Harvard grad and Cannes Film Fest participant Kimberlee Bassford is seeking your help on her PBS documentary about U.S. Representative Patsy Mink. The film is in post right now, but she's still looking for photos and documents that would help illustrate Mink's childhood in Hamakuapoko, Maui. If you have any materials that depict early 20th century plantation life or anything specifically pertaining to Mink’s early life, contact Seabury Hall librarian Linda Lindsay at 264-3913 or visit www.makingwavesfilms.com/Patsy.htm.
All materials will be scanned and returned.

>> Contributions to Mink documentary sought [The Maui News, 8/13/07]

RELATED POST:
A Pictorial History of Hawaii

"Jurassic Park 4" on Kauai This Year?

According to Bloody-Disgusting.com, Universal is planning to return to Kauai to film its fourth installment of "Jurassic Park" later this year. Apparently, Laura Dern will be back, but Sam Neill will not. JP4 will be about dinosaurs that have been trained by the government to use weapons in battle.

>> 'Jurassic Park IV' Story Details Revealed, Casting Begins! [Bloody-Disgusting.com, 8/13/07]

RELATED POSTS:
>> "Jurassic Park 4" To Shoot Next Year?
>> Hurricanes & Movies
>> Films Set in Hawaii Make Big Bucks

Hawaii Film Tax Credit So Far

Totally forgot to post this article by Sean Hao written a month ago. It discusses how Hawaii's 15-20% tax credit has been doing since it took effect on July 1, 2006. Per preliminary figures provided by the Hawaii Film Office, 27 productions have registered to apply for the tax credit, representing total anticipated in-state expenditures of about $127 million. These productions reported that they planned to hire 5,323 people, 4,276 (or 80%) of which would be Hawaii residents.

Please note that these figures are merely estimates based on information provided on the Production Registration Form , which is filed prior to the start of shooting in Hawaii. Productions must file a Hawaii Production Report after production wraps in order to confirm their qualification for the tax credit. It is on this second document that a production reports its actual Hawaii expenditures and hires.

Among the productions that have submitted Production Registration Forms are feature films "Tropic Thunder," "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," "Pirates of the Caribbean 3;" TV shows "Lost," "Las Vegas," and "Soap Talk;" feature documentary "Morning Light;" reality shows "Living Lahaina," "Maui Fever," and "High School Reunion;" and commercials and promo spots.

>> Film companies lured by tax credits [Hnl Advertiser, 7/14/07]

RELATED POSTS:
>> Feature Films Lured by Hawaii's 15-20% Tax Credit
>> Universal Feature to Shoot on Oahu
>> Big Hollywood Feature Scouting Kauai
>> Notable Commercials Shot in Hawaii

News, News, News, and News

So sorry for neglecting my blogging duties! Just got off a crazy shoot here in NYC so I'm copping out and giving you a list of v. interesting Hawaii film-related articles clipped by Kevin Inouye in the last few weeks (sorry guys, thanks Kevin):

Honolulu Advertiser
>> Maui Writers Conference lineup announced [7/23/07]
>> Movie studios find Hawaii friendly [7/24/07]
>> State film commissioner on Hot Seat today at noon [7/24/07]
>> Donne Dawson on The Hot Seat [7/24/07]
>> Laura Thielen to head Hawaii's DNLR [7/26/07]
>> Transpac yacht Morning Light finishes at 6:10 a.m. [7/26/07]
>> Waikiki lifeguard reality show is awful [7/26/07]
>> Local industry vying for big projects [7/29/07]
>> Andy Bumatai kicks off prime-time talk show [8/2/07]
>> HIFF's K-Fest opens Aug. 24, tickets on sale Aug. 17 [8/2/07]
>> Skinner joining state's Creative Industries Division [8/3/07]
>> 'Flight 29 Down' to screen at Sunset on the Beach [8/3/07]

Honolulu Star-Bulletin
>> Kailua theaters to close doors [8/1/07]
>> Focus on Shanghai [7/23/07]

Wanted: Film Proposals By & About Pacific Islanders

Pacific Islanders in Communications (PIC) just announced the opening of its 15th annual Media Fund Open Call for proposals. Pacific Islander filmmakers are especially encouraged to submit proposals for public television projects at any stage of development.

More than $200,000 in funding will be awarded to projects that tell authentic, well-told stories about the Pacific and what it means to be a Pacific Islander. Several awards of up to $15,000 will go to projects in the R&D stage, while larger awards of up to $50,000 to those in the production and completion stages.

A review panel will look for proposals with a compelling story, concept or treatment; great storytelling; a good hook; an experienced production team; a reasonable, factual budget; and a solid sample video. The projects must be about the Pacific and the Pacific Islander experience.

Pacific Islanders and non-Pacific Islanders alike are eligible to apply. Applicants must be 18 and older and U.S. citizens or legal residents.

All applications must be received no later than Fri, July 13, 2007 @ 5:30pm.

>> Click here for more information, and to download an application.

RELATED POSTS:
>> Hawaii Films at HIFF 2006
>> Hawaii on YouTube
>> Indigenous Pacific Storytelling
>> Hawaii Looks to New Zealand
>> Listen and Learn
>> How Da Haoles Wen Stole Hawaii: The Film(s)
>> A Pictorial History of Hawaii

Features Galore in Hawaii

No greenscreen needed here--Stiller is opting for the real deal on Kauai for "Tropic Thunder"

There's been a lot of feature film news coming out of Hawaii lately...

Two huge productions are slated to start filming very soon: Ben Stiller-helmed "Tropic Thunder" starring Stiller himself, Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr., Jay Baruchel, Owen Wilson, and Nick Nolte will shoot on Kauai, and "(Untitled Genre Project)" (ahem) is reportedly going to shoot somewhere in Hawaii.

On the B-list is Rigel Entertainment’s "Tyrannosaurus Azteca" filming at Oahu's Kualoa Ranch.

This fall, a Princess Ka'iulani biopic starring Q'orianka Kilcher ("The New World") will start shooting on Oahu.

A local indie feature will start shooting soon as well: Iolani grad and current USC film school student Ryan Ishii will helm his second feature, a hip hop-infused fantasy fable about war and family called "Ramona's Egatac." Ryan is casting from now till July 10th, so interested actors can email him at ryan.ishii@gmail.com.

>> Wilson and Nolte enlist in ‘Tropic Thunder’; more extras needed [Kauai Garden Island News, 6/21/07]

>> Indiana Jones on the Big Island [Hawaii Tribune-Herald, 6/21/07]

>> Movie about Princess Ka'iulani to start production in fall [Hnl Advertiser, 6/8/07]
>> 'Ramona' filmmaker puts out casting call [Hnl Advertiser, 6/27/07]

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>> Feature Films Lured by Hawaii's 15-20% Tax Credit
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Tax Credit Scandal Worries Louisiana Film Industry

LIFT threatened to take The Film Factory, its proposed $100M+ 300,000 s.f. studio/school facility, elsewhere if state officials did not speed up its tax credit claims

It's been a while since I wrote about film tax credits, but here's a doozy: last week, the FBI raided the offices of the Louisiana Institute of Film and Technology (LIFT), purportedly New Orleans' most prominent film production company ("Factory Girl" and "Bug" are among its recent films). Why? Apparently, LIFT head Malcolm Petal pressured state economic development officials to speed up the processing of his company's tax credit applications or else he'd take his proposed $100 million-plus film studio facility elsewhere.

The FBI raid may have been prompted by a whistleblower lawsuit filed in February against the state economic development department alleging that an official there gave LIFT favorable tax credit treatment in exchange for bribes and kickbacks.

These recent events are worrying Louisiana's film industry leaders. Since the state's first round of film tax credits took effect in 2003, $2 billion in production expenditures have been spent, putting the state at the #3 spot in level of production after California and New York. Could corruption and greed bring it all down?

>> FBI raids film offices as tax probe widens [New Orleans Times-Picayune, 6/2/07]
>> LIFT officials pressured state to speed tax credits [N.O. Times-Picayune, 6/4/07]
>> Are we dumping the baby with the bathwater? [N.O. Times-Picayune, 6/5/07]
>> FBI investigation in New Orleans worries local film industry leaders [The Shreveport Times, 6/5/07]

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Maui Film Office Presents Free Master Classes

The Maui Film Festival is coming up June 13-17, and the Maui Film Office's Benita Brazier is using the opportunity to offer FREE informative master classes to the public. The following film industry professionals will offer their expertise on producing, directing, composing, location scouting, VFX, and the studio system:

• Jon Kuyper - VP, Warner Premiere
• Monica Levinson - Exec Producer, "Borat"
• Betty Thomas - Director, "Private Parts," "Dr. Dolittle," "28 Days"
• Darius Shahmir - Director, "The Shimmering"
• Val Kim - Location Manager, "Pirates of the Caribbean 2 & 3"
• Richard Gibbs - Composer, "Step Into Liquid"
• Jeff Barnes - CEO, The Computer Cafe Group
• Will Kendall - Exec Producter, "Battlestar Galactica" Webisodes

The master classes, which are FREE and open to the public, will be held:

DATES: June 14-15

TIME: 2-5pm

PLACE: Lokelani III, Wailea Marriott

Click on the poster above for more details.