Kauaiwood… “The Cinema Isle”

So many major stars have been on Kauai this year, I was afraid I was gona trip over one.

Stars like Jennifer Aniston, George Clooney, Adam Sander, Penelope Cruz & Johnny Depp. I was secretly hoping Johnny Depp would be tooling around Kauai & somehow just happen to drop in at my house. Yeah, like that’s gona happen, but you gotta have dreams!  Hey brah!  You never know what can happen on Kauai & often does!

Kauai is a hot spot with many movie productions & TV shows filming this year. This behind the scenes article, KAUA’IWOOD from Midweek about the film industry & Kauai’s Film Commissioner (“Da Commish”), Art Umezu,  is fascinating. Some highlight quotes from the Midweek article,

“Kaua`i has long been used as a stand-in for other tropical locales around the world: ‘We can pass for Asia, Africa, Australia or even other Hawaiian islands.’

And since the 1950s, every decade has brought diverse genres and beloved stories to the island’s landscape: In ’58 South Pacific, in ’61 Blue Hawaii, in ’76 King Kong, in ’87 Throw Momma from the Train, in ’97 The Lost World: Jurassic Park, in 2007 Tropic Thunder, and to begin this decade, in 2010 Pirates of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.”

“As film commish, Umezu most often works with location managers — helping to identify the perfect stream, waterfall or bay for a scene. His office maintains files filled with hundreds of photos that can be accessed by productions scouting Kaua`i for potential locations, and he often makes suggestions based on his knowledge not only of the Island, but of the needs and limitations of a film crew.  According to Da Commish, the title of his biopic would be: Take This Job and Love It!  Fade out.”

“After the star-studded cast of Tropic Thunder shot for 10 months on Island, Umezu says there has been abuzz in the industry about Kaua`i’s beauty, accessibility, and chameleon adaptability.”

Hollywood has figured out how SWEET Kauai is! It’s only a matter of time before everyone else figures out how SWEET life on Kauai is too. For those of you who live here, you already have.