The 6th Hainan Island International Film Festival (hereinafter referred to as HIIFF and the “Film Festival”) was successfully held in Sanya from December 4th to 10th. During the warm winter, Hainan Island once again built a cinematic bridge connecting the globe and showed its charm and vitality to the world, the event bringing many outstanding international films to China while introducing Chinese domestic productions to global audiences.

The theme of this year’s festival, “From oceans, With visions,” featured various sections, including the “Golden Coconut Awards” competition, film screenings, Golden Coconut Forum, and Masterclass. Over the course of seven days, a host of outstanding films and filmmakers from China and abroad gathered in Sanya, presenting audiences and film enthusiasts with a feast of visual and auditory delights that celebrated classics and supported emerging talent. The film festival is also a platform for observing the development of Hainan’s film industry and fostering international cultural exchange.

The main competition section of the Film Festival, the “Golden Coconut Awards,” launched its global call for submissions in July 2024. The jury was composed of renowned directors, screenwriters, and actors from countries including China, France, Argentina, Italy, and Canada. French director Luc Besson served as the chairman of the “Golden Coconut Awards” jury.

This year’s film festival received 4,330 submissions from 117 countries and regions, with 3,356 international films, representing 77.5% of the total. The submissions spanned the globe, showing an impressive diversity of languages. In addition to commonly used languages such as Mandarin Chinese, English, Spanish, and French, there were also films in lesser-known languages such as Luganda, Icelandic, and Maori. After the selection, 14 feature films, 8 documentary films, and 10 short films were shortlisted for the “Golden Coconut Awards” competition. Among them, 100% of the feature films were making their Chinese mainland premieres, with some being Asian or even global debuts.

Ultimately, the Georgian film Holy Electricity won the "Golden Coconut Award" for Best Picture, the Serbian film 78 Days received the Jury Grand Prize, Laetitia Dosch was awarded the Best Director for Dog on Trial, Alberth Merma won the Best Actor for Through Rocks and Clouds, Preeti Panigrahi earned the Best Actress for Girls Will Be Girls, and Ruth Becquart and Leonardo Van Dijl won the Best Scriptwriter for Julie Keeps Quiet. Dong Zijian’s debut feature film, My Friend An Delie, received both the Best Visual Effects and the Best Chinese Contribution of the Year, An Oscillating Shadow won the Best Documentary Film, and Vox Humana earned the Best Short Film.

In terms of film screenings, this year’s festival featured various sections such as “Premieres,” “The Ends of the Earth,” “Moonlight Over the Sea,” “Towards the East,” and “Tributes to Classics,” and collaborates with multiple cinemas to screen over a hundred films. The stories of diverse customs and cultures and vicissitudes of life were shown onto the screen, demonstrating the enchanting charm of film. A particular highlight was the carefully selected “Have-Fun Outdoor Screening” activity places, with dreamy venues spanning coastlines, beaches, pools, mountain valleys, green spaces, and urban forests, paired with themed film markets. These unique settings allowed local residents and visitors to immerse themselves in nature while enjoying a more diverse and enriching film-watching experience. The Golden Coconut Forum, Masterclass, and “HIIFF Talents” Creative Camp served as key activities, injecting continuous vitality into the development of the film industry from multiple dimensions. As jury member Zhang Yi noted, HIIFF is an opportunity to recharge.

The “Golden Coconut Forum” held six forum activities, including one main forum, three official forums, and two collaborative forums. The main forum focused on themes such as new driving forces for the development of China’s film industry and Sino-foreign film co-productions, exploring in depth the policy support and practical achievements of the film industry under the background of Hainan Free Trade Port (HNFTP) development. The official forums covered topics such as marine documentary filmmaking, international film and television cultural exchanges, and creative practices of young filmmakers. The collaborative forums addressed themes such as the global expansion of micro-dramas, the release of short drama rankings, and China-ASEAN film exchange and dissemination.

This year’s festival introduced the “HIIFF Talents” Creative Camp for the first time, which aims to support young directors in short film creation and production. From July 10, when the recruitment notice was released, to September 6th at 24:00, the program received a total of 475 valid project submissions within 59 days, from which 8 projects were selected for creative incubation. Young creators actively responded to the development concept of “Shoot in Hainan, Tell Hainan Stories,” delving into the island’s rich resources to capture its beautiful moments through the lens and tell its moving stories. During the film festival, the 8 short films incubated through the “HIIFF Talents” were showcased. Their unique story ideas, solid creative techniques, and innovative visual presentations were well-received by audiences and industry professionals. This support model has helped young directors enhance their practical skills and deepen their overall understanding of the film industry.

The film festival also focused on international cultural exchanges, organizing events such as the Annual French New Film Exhibition, the Chinese-French Cultural Exchange Film Retrospective Exhibition, Spanish Film Week, and the ASEAN Film Exhibition, all centered around themes “Commemorating the 60th Anniversary of the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between China and France.” These events used the medium of film to promote cultural exchanges, fostering mutual understanding and enhancing people-to-people bonds.

In terms of the integration of culture and tourism, this year’s film festival aimed to achieve the goal of "Light and Shadow Cultural Tourism, Cultural Benefits for the People," effectively increasing the international visibility and influence of the Hainan International Film Festival. Notably, new promotional activities such as "15 RMB off," "10 RMB discount coupons," and "movie-viewing subsidies" were introduced, stimulating film consumption and boosting the enthusiasm for movie screenings across the island. We warmly welcome film enthusiasts to visit Hainan during the festival. Not only can they enjoy the beautiful landscapes of Hainan for tourism and leisure, but they can also appreciate high-quality films and have the opportunity to interact with their favorite stars in person. It is a chance to fully experience a cinematic journey, where the magic of films and tourism merge seamlessly.