Embark on a wonderful journey of light and shadow through poetic landscapes.
Appreciate the blessings of culture, and touch the inheritance and development of historical context from "Wonders of the Southern Sea, Enduring Cultural Heritage" to "Bosom Friends Across the Seas, Neighbors at the Ends of the Earth"; from "Exiled Ministers' Residence, Hall of Great Virtue" to "Silk Road Port, Treasure Land of Southern Breeding". Bathe in the light of art, and experience the cinematic charm of "Looking to the Ends of the Earth, the Scenery Here is Uniquely Fine".
From December 16 to 22, 2023, the 5th Hainan Island International Film Festival (HIIFF) was held in Sanya. Filmmakers and film fans from various parts of the world gathered on the shores of the South China Sea to embrace the magic of cinema once again.
Each year has its theme, and each edition has its unique features. Light and shadow converge here, cultures connect here, emotions communicate here, and culture and tourism integrate here. Five years of cinema, a journey of brilliance—the development of Hainan's film industry is radiating vigorous vitality.
The curtain of the 5th HIIFF is about to rise, and Sanya extends its most sincere invitation to the world: build a global stage to tell China's stories well; invite guests from all directions to jointly draw the blueprint for culture and tourism; gather friends from across the globe to share the cinematic feast.
This time, promising works that vividly showcase the rich connotations of China's stories in the new era, inherit the endless historical context, depict the daily lives of ordinary people, unfold the green scroll of a beautiful China, and illuminate shining milestones will spark collisions of ideas here.
This time, the Hainan Free Trade Port has attracted keen attention from numerous internationally renowned directors, avant-garde filmmakers, and young talents. With 4,018 films submitted from 109 countries and regions worldwide, they jointly promote cultural exchange and mutual learning. They will gather in the Deer City to analyze the new situations and new experiences of Chinese cinema, explore new problems and new countermeasures, comprehensively integrate the new forces of the Chinese film industry, and jointly promote the sustained and healthy development of Chinese cinema, once again letting the world hear the resonance and echo of the Hainan Free Trade Port with the development of the times!
Brilliant light and shadow will surely illuminate a colorful Hainan.
Here, outstanding film screenings create a carnival for movie fans. This edition of the festival is expected to screen 80–100 films. In addition to the screenings of the Golden Coconut Awards nominees, the festival has also set up screening sections such as "Ends of the Earth", "Retrospecting Classics", "Hainan Focus", "Island-Wide Carnival", and "Coconut Wind and Sea Charms". Nearly a hundred outstanding films will be screened in cinemas across Sanya, Haikou, Danzhou, Ledong, Lingshui, Wuzhishan, as well as in outdoor screenings in some cities and counties, empowering innovation in cultural and tourism development through film.
Here, cinematic dreams are pursued. Three forums and two Masterclass events allow filmmakers and film fans to explore film creation through dialogues with masters, initiating in-depth reflections and sincere conversations about cinema, and exploring the true path of art and creation. It is worth mentioning that at the main venue of the forums, the VR concept was introduced for the first time, and a VR film experience area was set up, exploring new paths, researching new directions, and seeking new momentum for the development of talent in the film industry.
Here, you can check in at beautiful landscapes and freely explore the "New Studio" of filmmakers' dreams. Citizens, tourists, and film fans can enjoy the beautiful scenery while watching movies and experiencing the charm of cinema. The hilltop of Sanya Luhuitou Scenic Area and the Aranya Community will host 4 days of special "Cinematic Culture and Tourism, Culture Benefiting the People" activities respectively. The cinema at The St. Regis Yalong Bay Resort in Sanya will hold multiple days of screenings, and Wanning Surf Town will host 3 days of free screenings and related supporting activities, better satisfying the spiritual and cultural needs of the people.
Here, the awards ceremony shines brilliantly. With a cinematic feast rooted in Hainan and looking out to the globe, it allows filmmakers and film lovers from all over to share visual memories in the realm of light and shadow, making the development of film culture more colorful and the integration of cinematic exchange more abundant.
Here, the convergence of industries highlights the industry's weathervane. This is the "trendsetter" for cultural and tourism landmarks, and also the "accelerator" for integration. In recent years, focusing on the goal of building an international tourism consumption benchmark, Sanya has made continuous efforts in policy support and infrastructure supporting facilities, striving to build a new pattern of all-for-one tourism development featuring "tourism + multiple industries". A number of film shooting locations and film companies have successively "settled" in Hainan. For example, the films Lost in the Stars, The Meg, Out of Amazon, the TV dramas Female Psychologist, Punishment, and the variety shows Summer Surf Shop, Back to Field, Twelve Sharp Tastes all sought new landmarks in Hainan, and Sanya has frequently become a filming location for film and television works. Film and television instantly awaken the development of the cultural and tourism industry, making originally abstract place names concrete and vivid, thereby stimulating urban cultural vitality and layers of influence, truly achieving a win-win symbiosis between "film" and "location".
Here, it becomes the "star stage" of cinema and the "grand platform" for exchange and integration.
With the effective implementation of Sanya's "Ten Major Cultural Projects", the economy of first exhibitions, first releases, first shows, and first stores continues to exert force, the Sanya Economic Circle develops synergistically, the Hainan Branch of the China Copyright Protection Center is inaugurated and operates in Sanya, and the construction of the China Hainan International Cultural Relics and Artworks Trading Center and the Hainan International Cultural Exchange Center is accelerated. Key resource elements such as global film technology and capital are gathering in Sanya, fostering more new business formats, new consumption, and new hotspots for cultural and tourism integration, continuously releasing new momentum for the deep integration of culture and tourism.
The sea and sky form a single screen, with surging waves of light and shadow.
Let us set sail with cinema and attend this rendezvous of light and shadow by the island.
Chase the light in Hainan, embrace the future.
Source: Sanya Media Convergence Reporter Yang Yang
Editor: Li Jingchao
