State Film Commissioner Donne Dawson took questions today on The Hot Seat. Advertiser file photo

Dawson is charged with developing a vibrant and thriving film industry in Hawai'i. And, under her watch, Hawai'i has seen a surge in film and television projects in the year that the state started offering tax credits.

There have been roughly 27 productions that have applied for the credits. And those productions will wind up spending more than $126 million in Hawai'i, according to Dawson's film office.

Those productions include the films "Pirates of the Caribbean At World's End," "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" and the upcoming Indiana Jones installment. The popular television series "Lost" is also filmed here and has applied for the tax credit.

You can catch excerpts from today's session in Sunday's Focus section.