On December 11, reporters learned from the press conference of the 5th Hainan Island International Film Festival (HIIFF) held in Haikou that the 5th HIIFF, co-hosted by the China Media Group and the People's Government of Hainan Province, will be held in Sanya, Hainan Province from December 16 to 22, 2023.
Vast oceans, new forces of light and shadow! As one of the 12 pioneering projects of the Hainan Free Trade Port, HIIFF has developed alongside the port's construction and has become an important window showcasing its image. The 5th HIIFF closely centers on the construction of the Hainan Free Trade Port, emphasizes film copyright protection, focuses on the integration of "film + culture and tourism," strives to forge a new calling card for cultural and tourism integration, creates new business formats, new consumption, and new hotspots in this integration, and continuously releases new momentum for the in-depth integrated development of culture and tourism.
World Film Master Ceylan Serves as Jury President
This edition of the festival features sections including the Opening Ceremony, Golden Coconut Awards Competition, Film Screenings, Golden Coconut Forum, Masterclass, Golden Coconut Carnival, and the Closing Ceremony & Golden Coconut Awards Ceremony. Zhang Jun, Executive Deputy Director of the Publicity Department of the CPC Hainan Provincial Committee, Director of the Provincial Film Bureau, and Secretary-General of the HIIFF Organizing Committee, introduced that Nuri Bilge Ceylan, a world film master who won the Best Director Award at the 61st Cannes International Film Festival and the Palme d'Or at the 67th Cannes International Film Festival, and served as a jury member for the Main Competition Section at the 62nd Cannes Film Festival and as the Jury President of the 2019 Shanghai International Film Festival, has been invited to serve as the Jury President of the Golden Coconut Awards Competition Section at this edition of HIIFF. Other invited jury members include: French cinematographer Caroline Champetier, Iranian director Shahram Mokri, as well as Chinese director and actor Da peng, Chinese actor and producer Huang Xiaoming, Chinese actor Ma Yili, and Chinese screenwriter Liu Yi.
5th Hainan Island International Film Festival Key Visual Poster (Vertical Version)
Golden Coconut Awards Collects Over 4,000 Films
The Golden Coconut Awards collected outstanding films completed after August 15, 2022, from around the world, receiving a total of 4,018 film submissions from 109 countries and regions. The Golden Coconut Awards Competition is divided into three main categories: Feature Films, Feature Documentaries, and Short Films. The Golden Coconut Awards Jury will select ten awards from the shortlisted films: Best Film, Best Director, Jury Grand Prix, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Screenwriter, Best Technical Award, Best Children's Film, Best Documentary, and Best Short Film. The winners will be announced and awarded at the Closing Ceremony & Awards Ceremony.
Nearly 100 Films to Be Screened During the Festival
In terms of film screenings, it is estimated that 80 to 100 films will be screened. In addition to the screenings of this year's Golden Coconut Awards shortlisted films, the festival has also set up screening sections such as "Ends of the Earth," "Retrospective Classics," "Hainan Focus," "Island-Wide Carnival," and "Coconut Wind and Sea Rhyme." Nearly 100 outstanding films will be screened in cinemas across Sanya, Haikou, Danzhou, Ledong, Lingshui, and Wuzhishan, as well as in open-air venues in some cities and counties. Among them, "Hainan Focus" is a special screening section, including Guangming Cinema public welfare screenings, Italian Film Special Screening, Kazakh Film Special Screening, Indian Film Special Screening, Hong Kong Classic Film Special Screening, and Hainan Film Special Screening.
This edition of the festival will hold a 4-day "Light, Shadow, Culture and Tourism; Culture Benefiting the People" special event at the summit of Luhuitou Scenic Area and the Aranya Community, respectively, covering screenings at scenic spots, camping parties, film-themed markets, and derivative cultural and creative product sales. In addition, multi-day screening events will be held at the cinema of The St. Regis Yalong Bay Resort, and a 3-day free screening and related supporting activities will be held in Wanning Surf Town.
5th Hainan Island International Film Festival Key Visual Poster (Horizontal Version)
Masterclass: Filmmakers and Cinephiles Connect
This edition of the festival will host three forum activities: a themed forum on "High-Quality Development of the Film Industry in the Hainan Free Trade Port," which is based in Hainan and faces the world; a themed forum on "Documentary Images: Harmonious Coexistence of Man and Nature," which explores more possibilities of documentary imagery; and a Film and Television Digital Copyright Management Forum & Film Technology Innovation Forum focusing on copyright and technological power. The three forums will work together to explore new visions for China's film industry, film creation, and future imagery.
The Masterclass events at this edition of the festival will also provide opportunities for communication between filmmakers and cinephiles. Renowned director Nuri Bilge Ceylan will share his creative experience at the Masterclass, guiding young filmmakers in their creations from the artistic pursuit of cinema to practical shooting; renowned screenwriter Liu Zhenyun will deeply analyze the subtle relationship between literature, film, and life at the Masterclass, and freely discuss film ideals and share film insights.
Official Release of the Festival Key Visual Poster
On the same day, the key visual poster for the 5th HIIFF was officially released. With the theme of "Surging Light and Shadow, Freedom of the Canopy," the design continues the combination of previous editions' elements with Hainan's characteristics, integrating figures and real scenic elements. The work takes a group of children running and playing in the sunshine and by the sea as its creative starting point, combining Hainan's blue sky and ocean elements, and integrating the imagery of a movie screen, presenting an interactive picture of man and nature. The overall key visual poster implies that HIIFF, like a child, ventures into the sea and chases the waves, full of vitality, and also expresses the firm will of the vigorous rise and continuously expanding opening-up of the Hainan Free Trade Port construction. It is worth mentioning that the image of this edition's festival key visual poster was shot in Meilian Community, Sanya, Hainan, and the children on the poster are students from Baogang Primary School and Meishan Primary School in Yazhou District, Sanya.
The preparations for the 5th HIIFF are advancing in an orderly manner. With the goal of "year-round screenings, island-wide screenings, universal viewing, and a complete industry chain," it deeply explores Hainan's cultural resources to build HIIFF into a feast of film culture that "inherits highlights, innovates characteristics, and elevates benchmarks," with a more international vision, Chinese elegance, and Hainan characteristics.
Nanfang+ Hainan Correspondent Zhao Wei
