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Reel News Tim Ryan |
‘Wine Show’ films
on MauiThe Fine Living Network, Scripps Networks' cable and satellite channel, has concluded five days of filming of Master Sommelier Andrea Immer at Maui's Kapalua Wine & Film Festival for a new Sunday night series. "The Wine Show" is scheduled to debut this summer. Scripps Networks is working out deals to have its shows televised in Hawaii. ...
The $4 million budgeted film "Whale Rider," which had its Hawaii premiere at the Maui Film Festival last month, has grossed $4.7 million in five weeks of U.S. release and $8.8 million worldwide in minimal release. The Maori-themed pic opens in 400 more U.S. theaters this weekend, including the Kahala and Dole Cannery theaters ...
Former Maui Film Commissioner Georja Skinner is quietly working on getting a Waikiki hotel for the setting of a secret, in-development TV show about a fictional, locally owned hotel. The screenplay is by former "Baywatch Hawaii" executive producer Frank South and Star-Bulletin columnist Charlie Memminger. Skinner is talking to Waikiki hotel execs....
Group Management Corp. of Atlanta has partnered with Kadalak Entertainment Group to develop and produce three film projects and one TV series a year. Pre-production financing of the movie thriller "The Partners" has begun, with Hawaii being considered as a location, primarily because of its Act 221 investment credits. ...
Hawaii take note: The state of Louisiana has teamed with Los Angeles-based Samy Boy Entertainment to create a $50 million production fund called LA Squared. The fund will back 10 to 12 films shot in Louisiana. The money will come from Samy Boy and the Louisiana Economic Development Corporation. Louisiana passed a law last August designed to put it on par with major film locations like Germany, Canada and the United Kingdom when it comes to film production tax credits. Qualifying productions can earn tax credits of up to 15 percent of the total production expenditures in Louisiana, which is the first state to invest in a film production fund. However, New Mexico is an equity investor in the Cruise/Wagner Prods./Intermedia production "Suspect Zero." New Mexico allows productions to borrow up to $7.5 million interest-free. ...
Two German-based productions filmed travel shows here. Megaherz GMBH Film & Television spent 12 days filming "Adventures Abroad" on the Big Island, Oahu, and Maui, while VOX did a 16-day shoot on Oahu and the Big Island.
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Contact Tim Ryan at tryan@starbulletin.com.