01
Spanish Film Week Kicks Off
Today's screenings kicked off with the premiere film of the Spanish Film Week, Carmen. Prior to the screening, the launch ceremony of the Spanish Film Week was held. Ms. Wang Lu, Director of the Film and Television Translation and Production Center of China Media Group and Secretary-General of the Hainan Island International Film Festival (HIIFF) Organizing Committee, and Mr. Juan José Tejedor, Cultural Counselor of the Spanish Embassy in China, delivered speeches respectively. Both highlighted the significant meaning of this Spanish Film Week in deepening Sino-Spanish friendship and promoting film and cultural exchanges between the two countries.
As the premiere film of the event, Carmen is directed by Spain's national treasure director Carlos Saura. It interprets the story of a modern "Carmen" in the form of an opera film. The passionate and vigorous Flamenco dancing in the film fully embodies Spanish national characteristics. After the screening, many audience members expressed that they were able to appreciate the charm of Spanish culture through this film.
02
Competition Screenings Post-Screening Q&A with Filmmakers
Event Venues See Growing Popularity
As the 6th Hainan Island International Film Festival enters its third day, the Golden Coconut Awards competing feature-length documentary Fabric of Lives was screened this morning, followed by a post-screening Q&A session. Director Liu Guoyi attended the event in person, sharing the stories behind the film and his insights on the shooting process with the audience. Centered on cotton farmers in Xinjiang, this film uses light and delicate cinematography and emotional portrayal to document the labor and lives of two cotton-farming families in Awati County, Xinjiang during the cotton-picking season.
The audience responded enthusiastically. When asked whether they encountered difficulties during filming due to language and cultural differences, director Liu Guoyi frankly stated: "We indeed encountered many challenges, especially with the language barrier; early communication was not smooth. However, we found that emotions are universal, and this universality bridged the gap between language and culture."
"Not out of curiosity, but based on respect." The director emphasized this philosophy during his sharing. He believes that the camera of a documentary should not be an intruder into life. The post-production of the film took a considerable amount of time, and how to distill a clear narrative thread from the vast sea of footage became the biggest challenge for the director and his team. Liu Guoyi stated that authenticity and objectivity are the foundations of the film, but artistic expression is an important way to achieve emotional transmission. He hopes to use the language of cinema to present both the beauty and the helplessness of the cotton farmers' lives, allowing the audience to experience complex, objective, and genuine emotions while watching the film.
The highly anticipated creators of Omnes Films also arrived at the venue today. Among them, following the screenings of Harper's Comet and The Wonderful Bernard's Night, director of The Wonderful Bernard's Night Michael Basta and director of photography of Harper's Comet Carson<|message|> Lund communicated with film fans about various aspects, ranging from film casting and cinematography lighting to the collaboration model among Omnes Films members.
Omnes Films attempts to "fill the void in contemporary cinema" through collaboration among its group members, with an overall style focusing on atmosphere creation rather than plot narrative. Regarding this, Lund pointed out during the post-screening session that Harper's Comet embodies this creative purpose; the film has almost no dialogue, creating a dreamlike sense where illusion and reality intertwine in various silent outdoor nighttime scenes, encouraging the audience to feel more rather than to interpret.
Another feature film from Omnes Films, Siren Topology, was also screened in the evening. Its narrative exhibits non-linear characteristics, resembling a stream-of-consciousness fantasy adventure. The audience seems to shuttle through fragmented plots, piecing together meaning amidst uncertainty, challenging traditional linear logic and bringing a brand-new viewing experience.
To commemorate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France, this edition of HIIFF also specially screened the French silent film classic The Poet's Eye-Digging, with musicians Zhang Tianlei and Cui Jian providing live musical accompaniment. This brought the audience an audio-visual feast transcending time and space, allowing this classic to radiate a全新的韵味 before the audience on Hainan Island.
All the Sad Young Men was also screened today, followed by a post-screening Q&A. Directed by Zhang Jiajun, this film has previously been screened at multiple domestic and international film festivals. As the director's debut feature-length work, he uses the form of an experimental film to write a poem dedicated to his hometown of Shanghai through the language of cinema.
03
Animation Development Symposium
On December 6, the "Chinese Animation Development and International Cultural Exchange" symposium of the 6th Hainan Island International Film Festival was held from 10:00 to 12:30 in Hall 1 of Sanya Xingyue Cinema (Sanya Summer Branch). The guest speakers engaged in in-depth discussions on topics related to domestic animation, such as personnel training, industry overview, and development directions, hoping to provide excellent references and insights for the creation and development of Chinese domestic animation.
04
HIIFF Open-Air Screenings
Multiple Locations Open
Today, in addition to the Summer Branch, the HIIFF Open-Air Screenings added multiple locations: Sanya Maling Community Tianya Town, Luhuitou Mountain Top, Kangnian Hotel, Haikou Century Cape Commercial Street, Lingshui Li Autonomous County Cultural Square, and Wanning China Resources Shimewan National Tourist Resort.
With the official launch of the Spanish Film Week, the film The Confusion of the Pink Flamingos was screened outdoors today. This Spanish work, with its unique artistic style and profound emotional exploration, attracted a large audience to the screening. In addition, Lock War from the "ASEAN Film Exhibition" section was also screened, allowing the audience to experience a tense and thrilling adventure through its roller-coaster plot.
In addition, classic films A World Without Thieves, Tangshan Earthquake, and If You Are the One were brought to the audience, along with the highly epic animated film Chang'an. As the festival progresses, film fans from all over the world continue to share this feast of cinema under the starry sky of the island. There will be more exciting post-screening activities tomorrow, and all audience members are welcome to attend and interact.
