HB 2360 - Film Industry Summary

• Establishes a Hawaii Film Advisory Council with 13 members within the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism to advise on film industry development, workforce, and infrastructure.

• Provides a general excise tax exemption for qualified persons planning, designing, constructing, or retrofitting film studio infrastructure in Hawaii.

• Amends the Motion Picture, Digital Media, and Film Production Income Tax Credit to increase the annual cap from $50,000,000 to $60,000,000 and extends the sunset date from January 1, 2033 to January 1, 2039.

• Expands the definition of "qualified production" to include streaming platform series (up to 8 episodes per season) and clarifies third-party certification requirements for productions exceeding $1,000,000 in qualified costs.

• Creates a permanent film industry development liaison position exempt from civil service and appropriates $130,000 for fiscal year 2024-2025.