Since the early 1980s, Hawaii has been a popular location for filming in Japan. More and more co-ordinator companies were taking filming jobs in Hawaii, and there were also a number of local companies that took on these jobs. HIFA was established in 1989 by a non-profit association of Hawaiian co-ordinators and local filming companies with the aim of solving this problem and managing various matters, including collective bargaining with the local US labour unions. HIFA is a non-profit organisation founded in 1989 by Hawaii co-ordinators and local filming companies. Since March 2020, the HIFA Pilot Programme (work visa free entry), which was used for more than 20 years to simplify immigration procedures, has been revoked and foreign film crews from Japan, Korea and other countries have been deported from Honolulu Airport. We have been working to revive the pilot programme and have now formed a revival team and are lobbying various administrative and government agencies. Unfortunately, the programme has not yet been reinstated, despite the cooperation of many supporters. Currently, the US Department of Homeland Security requires foreign film crews to obtain work visas and recommends the following visas. H visa P visa O visa Mainly for commercial purposes such as TV commercials, promotional videos, etc. I visa Mainly for news reporting, documentaries, educational and informative programmes　 B visas Business meetings, participation in events, etc. For information on visas, please refer to the websites of the US Department of State, US Citizenship and Immigration Services and the US Embassy in Japan. HIFA has a number of coordinators who work from Japan, even though it is now more difficult to enter the country, and also has a coordinator who works from South Korea.　If you are considering filming in Hawaii, please contact HIFA or one of the HIFA-affiliated co-ordinator companies.

Hawaii International Film Association (HIFA)
George Russell 
HIFA President
P.O.Box 8094 Honolulu, Hawaii 96815
808-223-4013