State lawmakers are moving along a measure meant to facilitate film production on agricultural land, though some film advocates worry it could add more bureaucracy to the process.
Senate Bill 2156 said promoting the film industry on farm land could support Hawaiʻi's film industry, provide another source of revenue for farmers, and even lead to an increase in tourism.
It also notes that neighbor islands “possess abundant agricultural zoned lands suitable for limited, temporary, and carefully managed film production. Allowing film production subject to stringent oversight will stimulate rural economies and create new revenue streams for landowners without compromising long‑term agricultural viability.”
To that end, the bill would create a state law to allow temporary filming as an accepted accessory use on agricultural land — as long as the filming doesn't degrade the soil, disrupt actual farming, or exceed 30 days per year.
It would also establish a film permitting system and an “agricultural film production land use oversight committee” to be in charge of it.
Right now, the specific process to film in Hawaiʻi depends on the county and what entity owns the land where the filming takes place.
In a Thursday hearing, Sen. Lorraine Inouye, the vice-chair for the Senate Committee on Water, Land, Culture and the Arts, said a state-level process for agriculture filming in Hawaiʻi is “long overdue.”
She said, “The Legislature has always supported the film industry … so I think maybe it's about time that we perhaps look at the situation finally and come up with a statute that would apply statewide. Then we won't have these issues come up independently.”
Though SB 2156 passed out of its committee hearing on Thursday, it has received mixed feedback from film industry advocates themselves.
The Coalition of County Film Offices in Hawaiʻi said the bill might make the permitting process even longer, which is an issue for the fast pace of the film industry.
In a written testimony, the coalition said the measure “does not account for the temporary nature of film production as well as the fast pace of the industry. … In the interim, the county film offices collectively and respectfully recommend a more streamlined approach than is proposed in the measure.”
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