Year after year, light and shadow bear witness; this rendezvous has never been absent. On November 25, the press conference for the 7th Hainan Island International Film Festival (HIIFF) was held at the Hainan Provincial Press Conference Hall. Co-hosted by the China Media Group and the People's Government of Hainan Province, the 7th HIIFF is scheduled to take place in Sanya from December 3 to 9. At that time, global filmmakers, film critics, media professionals, and cinephiles will gather on the shores of the South China Sea, amidst coconut groves and rolling waves, to jointly attend this grand gathering of films, filmmakers, and fans.
With the theme "Ocean of Visions, Boundless Cinema," this edition of the festival centers on the objectives and principles of "internationalization, marketization, and free trade port," upholding the festival philosophy of "year-round screening, island-wide screening,全民观影, and whole industry chain." It aims to build a platform for international film and cultural exchange and mutual learning among civilizations. The festival will host major events including the Opening Ceremony, Golden Coconut Awards Competition, Film Screenings, Golden Coconut Forum, Young Coconut Project Venture Capital, Golden Coconut Masterclass, and the Closing Ceremony & Golden Coconut Awards Ceremony. The venues for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies continue to be selected at Phoenix Island, a landmark area in Sanya. Among them, the Opening Ceremony is scheduled for December 3, and the Closing Ceremony for December 9.
01
Domestic and International Filmmakers Gather; Submissions for the Golden Coconut Awards Hit a Record High
As the core Competition Section of the festival, this edition's Golden Coconut Awards Competition and Screening sections have collected outstanding films globally, featuring three main sections: Feature Films, Documentaries, and Short Films. Led by Jury President Marco Müller, the International Jury consists of 13 renowned domestic and international film professionals, including 7 jurors for feature films, 3 for documentaries, and 3 for short films. Juliette Binoche serves as the Image Ambassador, and林志玲 serves as the Screening Ambassador. World-renowned director James Cameron will bring his core creative team to Sanya to attend the China premiere of Avatar: Fire and Ash on December 8, leading the audience back to the magnificent world of Pandora. Filmmakers from all over the world gathering in Sanya fully demonstrates the international vision and professional caliber of the festival.
The film submissions for this edition reflect the two major characteristics of "internationalization" and "diversification," receiving a total of 4,564 submitted films from 119 countries and regions, including 788 feature films, 403 feature-length documentaries, and 3,373 short films, hitting a record high. These films enter the three sections of Feature Films, Documentaries, and Short Films, competing for 10 major awards including Best Film, Jury Grand Prix, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Screenplay, Best Visual Effects, Best Chinese Film Contribution, Best Documentary, and Best Short Film. Outstanding films may also receive two special honors: the "Jury Special Mention" and the "Organizing Committee Special Mention."
02
Island-wide Shared Screenings; Culture and Tourism Integration Benefits the Public and Adds Brilliance
The screenings at this edition of the festival will continue across three major sectors: the Golden Coconut Awards Competition Section, the Non-Competition Section, and Open-Air Screenings. As the last international film festival of the year, the screening sector takes "Essence of Global Film Festivals" as its overall curatorial direction, gathering over a hundred high-quality films from internationally renowned festivals such as Cannes, Locarno, Venice, Toronto, and Busan, centrally showcasing the latest achievements of the global film industry. The festival takes multiple measures to ensure cinephiles "love to come, stay long, and have a great time," launching the "全民观影" activity. Screenings begin this November and will continue until the New Year's Day holiday next year,集中展映 120 to 150 Chinese and international films at 12 cinemas and multiple open-air screening venues across Sanya, Haikou, and Lingshui.
Meanwhile, 18 cities and counties across the island will carry out public welfare screenings of outstanding films. The "Golden Coconut Carnival" deepens the theme of "Touring Hainan and Sanya through Film," featuring a rich variety of activities synchronized with the festival. Leveraging the opportunity of the China Film Consumption Year, Sanya will successively launch over 20 cultural and tourism activities, including the 2025 Tropical Coastal City Exchange Event, the 2025 China Classic Car Rally and New Energy Vehicle Assembly Race, the 14th Round Hainan Island International Big Boat Race, the Asian Youth Music Festival, a world-class low-altitude art drone show, the 2026 "Friends of Time" New Year's Eve Speech, and the邓紫棋 Concert. Coupled with Sanya's distribution of duty-free consumption vouchers and film consumption benefit activities at the end of the year, these diverse activities will further energize the winter cultural and tourism market.
03
Diverse and Rich Industry Sector; Building a Complete Ecological Chain
In terms of the film industry sector, this edition of the festival will feature five professional forums, one Hainan Film and Television Industry Investment Promotion and Signing Conference, and the Young Coconut Project Venture Capital.
The main forum will be themed "High-Quality Development of Chinese Cinema: Free Trade Port Opportunities and New Drivers for the Film Industry's Development," revolving around topics related to the 130th anniversary of the birth of world cinema and the 120th anniversary of the birth of Chinese cinema. At this year's main forum, the festival organizing committee will partner with the China Film Archive to release the "2025 China Film Economic Development Research Report" domestically for the first time. At the same time, a "2025 Hainan Island-Wide Location Promotion" segment will be set up, focusing on the upgrade and revision of the "Hainan Shoot, Shoot Hainan" mini-program, and will release the "Policies Related to the Film and Television Industry in the Hainan Free Trade Port." The themes of the other four forums are respectively: the Ocean Culture and Tourism Image Seminar, the 16th China Film Technology Forum, the China-ASEAN Film and Television Exchange and Communication Forum, and the Southeast Asian Film Culture Forum.
As the pitching brand of the Hainan Island International Film Festival (HIIFF), the "Young Coconut Project" has been upgraded to a main event of the industry section this year, encompassing four core components: "Young Coconut Academy", "Short Film Training Camp", "Feature Film Pitching", and "Market Screening". It builds a results transformation chain from "student graduation projects" and "short film incubation" to "feature film pitching" and "copyright trading". The Short Film Training Camp received a total of 343 valid project submissions, and the top 6 projects have now entered the production phase. The completed films will be showcased at the festival's internal industry screening events. The Feature Film Pitching received a total of 457 project submissions, and 15 projects have been selected. They will present their final pitch during the festival, injecting fresh vitality into the film industry.
From December 7 to 11, the "7th Hainan Island International Film Festival · Lenovo AI Film Season" will also be held, featuring a series of events including AI technology and humanities art salons, an AI experimental image exhibition, and an international AI film joint screening.
04
Deepening International Exchange, Abundant Major Events
Taking the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Thailand in 2025 as an opportunity, the festival is launching a "Film Theme Series for the 50th Anniversary of China-Thailand Diplomatic Relations". A Thai film and television theme exhibition will be set up at the main screening venue in Sanya to showcase the achievements of Thailand's film and television industry, and a Thai film theme screening will also be held in the screening section.
Notably, the China premiere of Avatar: Fire and Ash will be held on December 8, allowing audiences to watch the film ahead of its mainland China theatrical release on December 19. James Cameron will bring the core creative team to Sanya to attend the China premiere, leading the audience back to the magnificent and splendid world of Pandora.
05
Key Visual Poster Unveiled, Interpreting the Imagery of Light and Shadow
The key visual poster of this edition of the festival was also unveiled at the press conference. The fantastical scene in the poster of a little girl running on the sea holding a film strip echoes the open and inclusive maritime characteristics of the Hainan Free Trade Port, symbolizing the beautiful vision of film art permeating life like the tide and inspiring infinite possibilities. It conveys the broad-mindedness of the 7th Hainan Island International Film Festival, which embraces all rivers and knows no boundaries in light and shadow. This is not only a tribute to the achievements of the Free Trade Port's construction, but also an invitation to global filmmakers to jointly build the future of light and shadow.
