Hawaii tourism officials are looking to harness the power of film to put a spotlight on Hawaii as a visitor destination, while creating a more authentic understanding of the islands and providing employment for local residents.

The state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism and the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority are increasing support for the industry, which has been hard hit by the departure of major productions and the absence of new ones.

CBS’s “Hawaii Five-0” shut down in 2020, and “NCIS: Hawai‘i” and the reboot of “Magnum P.I.” both aired their last episodes on the network in 2024, while “Rescue: HI-Surf” was canceled by Fox in May.

Gov. Josh Green and DBEDT Director James Kunane Tokioka recently allocated $500,000 in HTA funding for the film industry and directed th

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