Three filming projects get tour of Maui locales

Representatives for three prospective film and television projects scouted multiple Maui locales over a two-week period in December in search of potential film sites, the island’s film commissioner said.

Maui Film Commissioner Amy Kastens escorted representatives from three studios that are considering film and television projects on Maui on tours of the Valley Isle last month.

Two of the industry scouts were looking at possible locations for projects involving major film studios, Kastens said. The other scout was looking at locations for a television pilot, financed by a major studio.

As is standard when films and pilots are still in the exploratory stages, Kastens would not identify the representatives, studios or titles of any of the projects.

One of the films, said Kastens, would be a "sequel to a very popular film," in which selected Maui locales would stand in for Thailand. The other film, which Kastens described as a "female surfing movie," has a Hawai‘i-based plot.

The commissioner declined to reveal any details of the television pilot.

Kastens said that the representatives for all three projects were interested in scouting the entire island during their Maui stays.

"I drove around the entire island two weeks in a row with these people," she said. "They were interested in all the usual sites."

For the Thailand-set project, Kastens said the studio representatives were particularly interested in Lahaina’s Jodo Mission with its authentic Buddhist temple, impeccably maintained grounds and Great Buddha statue. The 12-foot high, three-and-one-half ton copper and bronze statue of Amida Buddha is the largest of its kind outside of Japan.

Studio representatives for the surf-themed project were especially interested in Lahaina and Maui’s popular north shore surf grounds.

"They loved Pa‘ia," Kastens said.

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