The scenic island landscape of the North Shore draws in Hollywood producers to film on Oahu. From remote island dramas to romantic comedy vacation films, the island offers a landscape for a variety of genres. The green mountains can double as a jungle thousands of years ago, and the beach as a private uninhabited island. One of the perks of movies being filmed in Hawaii is the celebrity sightings BYU-Hawaii students have been able to experience. Allie Smilanich, a senior studying business marketing from Utah, said, “When I was a freshman, my friends and I went down to the beach where they were filming ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ and got to see Johnny Depp.” Although some sets are closed off, often locals are welcome to watch the filming. Smilanich said the “Pirates” star Depp was extremely kind and took the time to talk to all of the people who lined up to see him and shake their hands. Another popular movie filmed in the North Shore area was “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.” After seeing the movie, local resident, Andrew Dixon, said, “I feel privileged to walk on the same sand that Jennifer Lawrence did in ‘The Hunger Games.’” Students and staff said they witnessed scenes being filmed at Turtle Bay Resort for the hit movie. Surf-centered movies such as “Blue Crush,” “Soul Surfer” and “North Shore” are popular films that have been filmed in places familiar to students and residents of the North Shore. Movies filmed at Kualoa Ranch and other locations around the island are “Jurassic Park,” “Godzilla,” “Mighty Joe Young,” “Tears of the Sun,” “Pearl Harbor,” “Windtalkers,” “Karate Kid II,” and “Hawaii.” TV shows include both “Hawaii Five-0s,” “Lost,” “Gilligan’s Island” and “Fantasy Island.”Jaden McCarry, a junior from Alaska studying intercultural peace building, said, “I loved watching ‘50 First Dates’ and being able to identify places that I frequently see and go to.” The film stars Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler and is set on the North Shore and Laie’s own Hukilau Café plays a special part in it, although the cafe is not shown in the movie. HawaiiMagazine.com asked people in 2010 what were their favorite movies filmed in Hawaii. The top five answers were:1. “50 First Dates”2. “Blue Hawaii”3. “Donovan’s Reef”4. “South Pacific”5. “Blue Crush”
Writer: Lauren Steimle ~ Multimedia Journalist
