Hawaii is enticing major filming productions

May 16, 2008 John Mason, film commissioner for the Big Island Film Office, attributes the draw to the state's recently enacted tax incentive program. According to Hawaii state film commissioner Donne Dawson, the state's refundable production tax credit, known as Act 88, has generated more than $200 million in direct spend since it went into effect on July 1, 2006 (roughly $185 million in the 2007 fiscal year alone). "We're not trying to be the cheapest destination," says Walea Constantinau, film commissioner for the Honolulu Film Office.

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