Since the invention of the motion picture camera, movies have been made on Maui, providing a timeline of cinema and legacy of the art form that continues to this day. As the art and science of cinema evolved dramatically throughout the 20th century, cinema became a means of escapism in every sense of the word: an audience can enter a darkened theater and go somewhere they’ve never been. The beginning of cinema history reveals Maui as an exotic backdrop for star vehicles and stereotypical films portraying island life. As time passed, Maui would eventually be utilized in films that are more complex, colorful and, in some cases, truthful about the island’s history. Today, Maui continues to be a desirable location for film and television, both mainstream studio works and locally made independent films.
Motion picture history evolved dramatically during the end of the 19th century, with short films and early experiments creating early visions of Hawaii in the movies. In 1898, Thomas Edison’s photographers filmed four short films, the two-part “Kanakas Diving for Money,” “Wharf Scene, Honolulu,” and “Honolulu Street Scene.”
Hollywood arrived soon thereafter and has been making movies in Hawaii since 1913, with the first productions being shorts titled “Hawaiian Love” and “The Shark God” (the alternate title was “Maui God”), both filmed on Oahu.
Among the earliest examples is “Hawaii Calls” (1938), which was shot on Maui and Oahu. “From Here to Eternity” (1953), while filmed on Oahu, had its premiere at the Historic Iao Theater in Wailuku.
Since then, surfer classics like “North Shore” (1987) and “Point Break” (1991), locally made gems like “Picture Bride” (1995) and “Goodbye, Paradise” (1991) and hits like “50 First Dates” (2004) have all been filmed on Oahu.
The seeming monopoly of films made on Oahu deserves mention: One of my earliest memories of Oahu was driving with my family past Kahului, and the cab driver announcing to us that, just over the hill, Columbia Pictures had built a faux Okinawa village for “The Karate Kid, Part II.” I remember thinking, that’s cool but why don’t they film more movies on Maui?
Here’s a handful of movies that were, at least in small part, filmed here:
The Devil at 4 O’Clock (1961)
Turns out Eastwood isn’t the first filmmaker to portray Lahaina being trashed by Mother Nature. This adventure tale stars Spencer Tracy and Frank Sinatra as two men at odds, living on the island of “Talua,” who must save a children’s hospital from a volcanic eruption. Most of the film was shot in Lahaina, and it’s fun to watch the cast walk around Front Street, particularly by the Pioneer Inn. An added bonus: once Sinatra and crew evacuate the hospital, their trek for survival takes them to…Iao Valley! Talk about a long hike! Overall, it’s a kick to see Maui locations so recognizable, like Iao Needle, even decades later.
The Hawaiians (1970)
This excellent sequel to James Michener’s “Hawaii” (1966) stars Charlton Heston and had several scenes filmed on Maui. Maalaea Harbor was used in the opening scene, in which the Carthaginian brought Chinese laborers to the island. This is how the ship came to Maui and was later moored in Lahaina as a tourist attraction. Later, it was sunk offshore for divers and submarine tours. Both Charlton Heston and Geraldine Chaplin were on-island for the shoot and stayed at the Wailuku Hotel (which is now the Maui Medical Group Building). “The Hawaiians” was once hard to find but now streams online and is a well-rounded look at Hawaii’s darker, earlier years.
Papillon (1973)
Some of this long, tough, and engrossing survival tale—starring Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman—was filmed in Hana. There are a few shots that are clearly Maui, but a great deal of filming was also done in Jamaica.
Baraka (1992)
Seventeen minutes into Ron Fricke’s hypnotic, wordless, and stunning documentary about life on Earth, filmed in 27 countries, you get a stunning view of Haleakala crater, shot atop Haleakala National Park.
Jurassic Park (1993)
We didn’t get a whole scene filmed here, just a “plate,” or false special effects backdrop, for a scene with the T-Rex. Kauai got the rest.
Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie (1997)
In real life, the historic Battle of Kepaniwai was fought in Iao Valley and was said to have been so fierce, the river ran red with blood. At the movies, Iao Valley was the battleground for the Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers’ far less profound tussle with the Maligore, in which one of the Rangers offers the timeless sendoff, “Later, flame face!” To our knowledge, the production did not obtain permission or proper permits for the brief shot of Iao Needle.
Die Another Day (2002)
The first person you see on-screen isn’t 007 but Hamilton…Laird Hamilton, surfing Peahi. His face is covered with a diving mask but that’s definitely one of the world’s greatest surfers gliding down Jaws (Hawaii pro surfers Dave Kalama and Darrick Doerner are also listed in the closing credits). Once the scene cuts to land, the Hawaiian portion of the film ends. In fact, on the director’s commentary, the filmmaker says with a laugh “Pierce Brosnan didn’t get to go to Maui.”
The Hulk (2003)
Ang Lee’s underrated and much-hated comic book adaptation has a single scene shot on Maui: the very last one. The brief epilogue, in which we see what Eric Bana’s Bruce Banner is up to after destroying San Francisco, was filmed on the Kahakaloa side.
Riding Giants (2004)
A segment of this terrific documentary on the history of surfing takes place in Peahi, with Hamilton and his crew tearing up the waves. Even if you’re not into “surf movies,” this always engaging and exciting doc will still thrill you.
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (2007)
There’s a Maui tourism Web site that claims a scene from the third Johnny Depp adventure was shot in Pukalani. I wish! Who wouldn’t want to see Captain Jack Sparrow stop off at Pukalani Superette for a Chili Chicken and Spam Musubi? But I digress: a portion of the Disney blockbuster was filmed in Kaupo, and Molokai got the rest of the Hawaii filming.
Lahaina can also be spotted in the 1958 Rock Hudson/Cyd Sharisse melodrama, “Twilight for the Gods.” Disney’s CGI animated feature, “Dinosaur” (2000) had a background plate filmed (what is it with Maui providing plates for dinosaurs?) and I’m happy to clarify that, despite Web sites that reported to the contrary, the erotic Garry Marshall debacle “Exit to Eden” (1994) was not filmed on Maui, but Lanai (sorry, Lanai!).
On the television side, episodes of “Oprah” (1986-2011), the briefly aired remake of “Fantasy Island” (1998), Perry Como’s 1985 Christmas Special, “The Young and the Restless” (1973-present) and, inevitably, “Baywatch Hawaii” (1999-2001) were filmed in part or wholly on Maui. The 1995 TV movie, “Crowfoot,” took place in Lahaina and featured local actors Bill Hensley and late kumu hula Charles Kaupu. “Hawaii Five-O” (1968-1980) filmed an episode in Upcountry Maui (at Makawao’s Club Rodeo bar, where Casanova’s is today) Ulupalakua, and the Pali drive to Lahaina where a car was sent over a cliff. USA Network’s Temptation Island produced several seasons on island, along with House Hunters and a number of other reality shows from Anthony Bourdain. Guy Fieri, and more.
A film many believe to have been shot on the Valley Island is “Blue Crush” (2002), which despite being based on an article titled “Surfer Girls of Maui,” was filmed on Oahu. The 1998 surf film, “In God’s Hands,” from erotica director Zalman King, has a segment that was filmed on Jaws Beach on Maui.
Then there are the “Special Hawaiian” episodes of sitcoms “Step By Step” (1991-1998) and “Growing Pains” (1985-1992). In the latter, the Seaver family travels to Maui, spends all their time at a resort and Kirk Cameron’s Mike meets a local girl named Leilani, falls in love with her, tells her “I’ll never forget you” and then never mentions her again for the rest of the series. This cliché would be repeated in other sitcoms featuring a Hawaiian vacation episode. Including one shot on Oahu in the early 70s starring Maui resident Brian Keith, a two part “Family Affair” featuring Molokai’s Jennie Napua Woodd as a frisky Hawaiian auntie courting Mr. French and, after winning him over, dumping him unceremoniously.
Clint Eastwood filmed a small but vital part of his supernatural thriller, “Hereafter” (2010) in Lahaina, employing around 70 locals. When the movie was released, audiences witnessed Front Street, a front for Fiji, being decimated by a tidal wave, with the help of special effects.
Maui continues to be the setting of both studio-backed and local, independently financed features. The 2011 Adam Sandler vehicle “Just Go With It” (which was filmed under its original title, Pretend Wife) utilized Maui locations and centered in the Grand Wailea. Stefan Schafer’s “Aloha Surf Hotel” (2020), an ensemble comedy led by Augie T and featuring Branscombe Richmond, was filmed in Kihei and throughout Maui. Likewise, Maui is utilized in Schafer’s documentary “Even Though the Whole World is Burning” (2014) on Pulitzer Prize-winning poet William S. Merwin, and the upcoming documentary, “Epic Swim Maui” (shooting concluded in 2024 for release in late 2025).
Another fine documentary, Tom Vendetti and Robert C. Stone’s “Quietest Place on Earth” (2015), about Haleakala, was written by Rick Chatenever, former editor of the Maui Scene (part of the Maui News). Vendetti has also produced other documentaries on Maui that have screened theatrically and aired nationally on PBS.
Speaking of veteran character actor Branscombe Richmond, the locally made films he has produced in recent years include “Maneater,” “Deadly Yoga Retreat” (featuring film and stage star Eric Gilliom in a supporting turn), “Aloha With Love” (featuring Kealani Warner), all shot in 2022.
The 2012 Lifetime TV movie “Blue Lagoon: The Awakening” (2012) and the high-profile Bruce Willis/ John Travolta vehicle, “Paradise City” (2022). Thankfully, the Valley Isle hasn’t only been utilized as a setting for campy schlock.
The first locally made independent film, Brian Kohne and Stefan Schaefer’s comedy “Get A Job” (2011) and the 1970’s-set murder mystery, “Kuleana” (2018 and also titled “Maui” in some territories), also directed by Kohne and produced by Schaefer, added integrity to the building local indie film scene. Likewise, the wildly popular HBO series “The White Lotus” (2021) had its first season filmed at the Four Seasons in Wailea and was notably the first U.S. signatory production to go during the pandemic.
The blend of studio-backed films and inventive indies created by local film artists continues to provide the output of films shot on Maui. While Maui is a highly sought-after landscape for film artists and storytellers, the hope is that the future will bring us more motion picture storytellers who have more on their minds than simply providing their stories with lush beauty in the background. Fact is, Maui is the best place in all the Pacific for modestly budgeted Independent production.
The Hawaii Movie and Television Guide/ Ed Rampell and Luis I. Reyes, 2013
Hawaii in the Movies 1898-1959/ Robert C. Schmitt, 1988
(Sources include former Maui Film Commissioners Benita Brazier and Tracy Bennett. A version of this article “Maui in the Movies”/ Barry Wurst originally published by Maui Time Weekly in 2010)
This was a world’s first circumnavigation swim around Maui, Hawaii, to usher in the age of expeditions swimming. This is the proof of concept that, ultimately, we’re planning on taking around the world,” said Epic Swim founder Robby Seeger. “The idea is that the best open water swimmers from six continents come together for the first time and they’re actually swimming together. We’re moving it out of the soul aspect of the sport for the bigger discussion around ocean health that is happening globally.”
Participants in the swim included Hawaii’s John Kaleimakali’i Clark, Ryan Leong and Stefan Reinke, Scotland’s Andrew Donaldson, Chile’s Barbara Hernandez, India’s Prabhat Koli, New Zealand’s Jonathan Ridler, Ghana’s Yvette Tetteh, the United States’ Sarah Thomas, Egypt’s Mostafa Zaki, Croatia’s Dina Levačić, France’s Marion Joffle, South Africa’s Sarah Ferguson, and Australia’s Paul Blackbeard.
The Epic Swim Maui is connected to the United Nations Ocean Decade, an initiative designed to generate important knowledge of the world’s oceans and promote sustainability. In connection with the swim, water samples will be collected for international studies on microplastics and “forever chemicals” that disturb natural ocean environments. In addition to these professionally-led studies, there are plans to provide research opportunities to local Maui students. Top water safety experts and oceanographers along with community partners all played a dynamic role in this ambitious event and documentary production.
Open water marathon swimmer Sarah Thomas shared on social media: "I was so lucky to spend 10 days in Maui, adding my arms to the @epicswimmaui adventure swim that is just about to finish up circumnavigating the island of Maui. I got to meet and swim with swimmers from around the world, who turns out are even better humans than swimmers. It was such a gift to be able to join them for a small part of that journey. Beautiful water. Beautiful people. And I saw a shark!”
Accomplished waterman Seeger, director Stefan Schaefer, and their partners are busy in post production, and expect to release both a limited TV series and a feature-length documentary from the 400-plus hours of footage shot before, during, and after the event. Follow along on this production journey at: epicswimmaui.com
Over the past fifteen years Maui’s independent production scene has been on the rise; a trend we are also seeing statewide. Strivers getting their start, established pros telling their own stories, and opportunities for local residents to cut their teeth in the industry!
In 2010 writer/director Brian Kohne and producer Stefan Schaefer committed to exclusively casting Hawaii residents for Maui’s first-ever independent feature film, Get A Job, which stars the late Willie K, Eric Gilliom, and other well-known Hawaii entertainers. In fact, only five members of the crew were not from the islands. More remarkable is the fact that only a handful of the 300+ individuals involved in the production had ever been on a movie set before.
Since that leap of faith, many other feature documentaries and narrative independent works have been produced by residents, including shorts and made-for-TV productions. Director Leah Warshawski and cinematographer Todd Soliday are still out in the world screening their award-winning doc Uncle Bully’s Surf Skool. Local actor/producer Branscombe Richmond has completed a number of modestly budgeted family films, including Aloha With Love. Schaefer and Kohne released Kuleana to theaters; the feature film is also available on streaming platforms. Other indie works from Schaefer include Aloha Surf Hotel, Even Though The Whole World is Burning, about the late poet and Maui resident W.S. Merwin, and another comedy on the way: Alex Farnham’s One Million Dolla (directed by Schaefer).
The most recent feature to shoot on the westside, My Partner, is already available on streaming. Six episodes of an independent TV comedy, Moku Moku is both streaming and available as in-flight entertainment on Hawaiian Airlines. This year, we can expect even more Maui-based motion pictures to find their way to the festival circuit and eventual distribution, including the highly anticipated documentary driven by local residents about the tragic events of August 2023: Lāhainā Rising chronicles one of the most devastating wildfires in U.S. history and the ongoing struggles of its displaced residents.
In the coming years the Maui Film Office seeks to strengthen resources for independents while also building out the infrastructure to support larger budgeted works by visiting production companies. Our union and non-union crews are dynamic, our locations first rate, and access to gear in the community and from Oahu has become routine. Over time our workforce will grow and Maui seeks to become the best place in all of the Pacific for independent production.
Much of our focus places an emphasis on education and opportunity for our Maui County residents. Stay tuned! We are just getting started, and there is a seat at the table for all Hawaii residents in this unique and growing industry.