On September 13, the 5th Hainan Island International Film Festival (HIIFF) held its global film submission ceremony, once again drawing the world's attention to Sanya. HIIFF has become a dazzling showcase for the open image of Hainan and Sanya.
Looking back, whenever the "HIIFF time" arrives, Sanya always becomes a hub of attention, not only with domestic and international stars, guests, directors, and key crew members gathering in Sanya, but also with numerous outstanding domestic and international films screened at various venues across the city. While enriching the cultural life of citizens and tourists, it also boosts the new popularity of Sanya's tourism and injects new vitality into the development of the cultural and tourism industry.
A "Feast of Light and Shadow" Becomes a "Festival" for Cinephiles
In the official promotional video of the 4th HIIFF in 2022, it opens with a gradually brightening seascape. Actors such as Hu Jun, Li Chun, and Liang Jingkang run towards their destination from all directions with expectation, interpreting the theme of "Born towards the Light, Walking with the Shadows." The promo video embodies the dreams of countless filmmakers and is full of cinephiles' earnest anticipation for the festival.
"At the film festival, you can watch stars walk the red carpet up close, go to the cinema to watch your favorite movies, and the various film cultural experience activities during the festival are dazzling." In the host city of Sanya, whenever the festival is mentioned, many citizens speak with pride and excitement.
"The festival is a feast for filmmakers, and even more so a holiday for cinephiles," said citizen Han Yan. The festival is a great opportunity for star-chasing and a holiday to "meet" international film masters in various ways. He is highly anticipating the over a hundred outstanding global films screened during the festival.
The supply of high-quality films ignited the enthusiasm of people who hadn't been to a cinema for a long time during the pandemic, leading to a surge in box office revenue. At 12:00 on December 16, 2022, the 4th HIIFF started ticket sales on Maoyan Entertainment. Within just 3 hours of opening, the box office had already reached 76% of the previous edition's total, and in less than 4 hours, it reached 97% of the previous total.
Having served as the official screening venue for HIIFF for three consecutive editions, the Sanya 1+X Mangrove Cinema is always bustling with people during the festival. "During last year's festival, *Keep Safe* and *Lost in the Stars* held their premieres at the cinema one after another, which not only treated Sanya citizens and tourists to an early visual feast but also ignited the cinephiles' enthusiasm for watching movies," said the cinema manager Wang Chengkun.
"Last year's festival scheduled an 8-day screening period with over a hundred outstanding films. Each hall arranged 6-7 screenings per day. Audiences lined up to enter the cinema, collect tickets, and buy popcorn, and tickets for some popular sessions were hard to get." As a professional in the film and television industry, Wang Chengkun is highly anticipating this year's HIIFF. "I hope the young HIIFF will continue to thrive and develop into a more mature, international, and influential film festival in the future."
"Brilliant Starlight" Enhances City Attractiveness
As a "rising star" among domestic film festivals, HIIFF has been shining with starlight and receiving widespread attention since its inception. Johnny Depp, Isabelle Huppert, Juliette Binoche, Emma Dumont, Jackie Chan, Aaron Kwok, Xu Zheng... the figures of numerous filmmakers and musicians have been active at the festival. The brilliant starlight has not only left eternal memories for Sanya but also provided a more dynamic and vivid outlet for the city's expression.
A city fulfills a production, and a production popularizes a city. In recent years, the mutual interaction between film/television and tourism, through one hit film and TV drama after another, has verified the positive value of "Film & TV IP + City" for cultural tourism. Relying on the medium of film and the massive traffic from programs and stars, Sanya has instantly activated its potential cultural tourism dividends, making the city more attractive.
The Sanya Haitang Bay Mangrove Tree Resort Hotel was the hotel where stars stayed during the 4th HIIFF in 2022, and the red carpet ceremonies for the opening and closing ceremonies were held under the Future Tower of the hotel. "Thanks to the festival's driving effect, the hotel's popularity has been rising in recent years," said Gong Huiwen, the hotel's Brand PR Director. As one of the filming locations for the hit movie *Lost in the Stars* last summer, many tourists visited the hotel specifically to check in at the same sightseeing elevator as Zhu Yilong, driving an overall surge in the hotel's popularity.
Benefiting from the hosting of the festival, the customer flow at various hotels, restaurants, shops, and tourist attractions in Sanya has seen varying degrees of increase. Compared to pursuing immediate economic results, the festival's role in shaping a city's image and cultivating its industries holds far more profound significance.
"Film & Television + Tourism" Brings New Popularity to Tourism
The Mangrove Tree Resort Hotel in Haitang Bay is an epitome of Sanya leveraging the festival to empower the development of the "Film & Television + Tourism" industry. In recent years, more and more films, TV dramas, and variety shows have been filmed in Sanya. Relying on the massive traffic from programs and stars, Sanya's tourism has seen more new business formats, new consumption, and new hot spots, releasing new momentum for "Tourism +".
Sanya Haichang Fantasy Ocean City has successively engaged in brand marketing collaborations with iQIYI's self-produced online variety shows such as *Like You, Me Too* Season 2 and *Summer Surf Shop*. Driven by the celebrity effect and promoted by fan events, it has greatly helped Sanya Haichang Fantasy Ocean City become a popular spot for travel photography, internet-famous check-ins, and fan support, thereby forming the brand image of "Sanya's night-time destination for strolling, dining, trendy play, and fun".
During the filming of the TV drama *Psychologist*, lead actors Yang Zi, Jing Boran, and Wang Jia repeatedly posted beautiful scenery on their personal social media Weibo accounts, popularizing the Sanya International Duty Free City, Haitang Bay Sunac One Hotel, Capella Resort, Sanya Atlantis Aquarium, Tianya Town, Luhuitou Scenic Area, and even individual dining businesses like Luo Ji Pickled Rice Noodle Shop.
Meanwhile, building on the issuance of the Interim Measures for the Management of Special Funds for the Development of the Cultural Industry in Sanya, and relying on the development of the Hainan Free Trade Port, the city leverages international platforms such as the film festival to actively encourage all sectors to participate in the creation and filming of film and television works. Through the new model of "Tourism + Film and Television," Sanya aims to tell its stories well, ensuring that film and television works not only generate promotional benefits but also drive strong visitor conversion, thereby promoting the high-quality development of the cultural industry and helping Sanya build itself into an international tourist destination.
(Sanya Daily Reporter Li Shaoyun)
