At 18 degrees north latitude, a gentle sea breeze brushes through the coconut groves, and the golden sunset merges with the brilliant starlight over Sanya Bay. Here, beyond the coconut trees and sandy beaches, shines the light of cinema focused on the future. We gather here, embracing every ounce of passion and creativity with the vastness of the sea.
While enjoying the poetic charm of the seaside, real signals from the film market also resonate here: both production and viewing methods are undergoing profound transformations, and the market is thirsting for new momentum. Questions such as "how to bring more audiences into cinemas" and "how to help films find more audiences" have become shared concerns across the different sections of the film festival.
Against this backdrop, as a key industry section of the Hainan Island International Film Festival (HIIFF), the Young Coconut Project has provided a response oriented towards the entire industry chain and talent cultivation system through four newly upgraded sections. On December 7, the Honorary Ceremony of the Young Coconut Project at the 7th HIIFF was successfully held at the Mangrove Tree International Convention Center in Sanya Bay. This is not only a tribute to the achievements of auteurs who persist in the present day, but also a firm voice raised amidst a changing market environment.
The ceremony kicked off with a relaxed and humorous narration by host Zhang Shaogang. He first introduced the new connotations and industry layout of this year's Young Coconut Project to the audience. The four parts of its logo—Young Coconut Academy (the roots), Short Film Camp (the sprouts), Feature Film Project Market (the leaves), and Market Screening (the fruit)—vividly outline the complete growth journey of young filmmakers from breaking ground and sprouting to bearing fruit.
Subsequently, the host greeted the numerous creators in attendance, who started out as student creators and gradually became an indispensable force among young talents. Similarly focused on student works, the Young Coconut Academy also yielded fruitful results this year. From 785 submitted short films across over 150 universities worldwide, 15 shortlists were selected, from which 4 honors were awarded to 5 outstanding student works.
As the section of the Young Coconut Project dedicated to short film creation and production, as well as the early career growth of creators, the Short Film Camp received 343 valid applications this year. During the 7th HIIFF, the industry screenings and post-screening Q&A sessions for the Short Film Camp of the Young Coconut Project were successfully held. Incubated short films of diverse styles were showcased one by one, and the creative teams shared the stories and insights behind their works, marking another firm step taken by a new batch of young auteurs toward the big screen. At the ceremony, representatives from the Short Film Camp's industry partners, Visionary Culture and Douma23, took the stage respectively to present two Short Film Camp Industry Partner Choice Honors.
Before the presentation of honors, several Short Film Camp creators engaged in a discussion. Hu Yuanxing, producer of *Everyday Battlefield*, stated that despite the complex market environment, he remains optimistic about the future of film creation. While filmmaking may evolve with technological iterations, its core values will not disappear. Wu Zheng, producer of *California City Garden*, believes that narrative exploration and artistic expression are the irreplaceable core values of a complete short film, and that creation should return to sincerity, firmly conveying unique cultural perspectives and emotional experiences. Bo Hanxiong, director of *Please Close Your Eyes After Ten*, stated that the experimental nature of short films is a directional exploration, allowing creators to put their most avant-garde ideas, most unique expressions, and even the most "unconventional" creative methods into practice.
Anthony Chen, a Singaporean director, screenwriter, and producer of the Short Film Camp and a mentor for the Young Coconut Project Short Film Camp, served as a bridge with a brilliant speech. He shared his cross-cultural life and creative experiences, stating that the most important thing for a creator is to find a universal emotion and treat the characters, the story, and all the creators and actors they work with with a sincere heart. Creation is a process of "opening one's heart"; only when you give your heart away will your partners reveal their most genuine side to you.
This year, the Market Screening of the Young Coconut Project featured 6 feature films and 11 short films from home and abroad, covering various genres such as sci-fi, action, and suspense. These works showcase creators' new explorations in narrative and audiovisual language, bring diverse cultural perspectives, and collectively present a vibrant and promising landscape of the current international creative ecosystem. As Anthony Chen said: "Making films, the future may be sunny or rainy, but the most important thing is not to stop. I look forward to welcoming your sunny days in the near future!"
As one of the sections with the highest industry attention in this year's Young Coconut Project, the honor presentation segment of the Feature Film Project Market took place as the finale. This year, the Young Coconut Project Feature Film Project Market received 457 feature film project applications, with 15 projects shortlisted for the final review. During the festival, these projects presented their final pitches in Sanya to the four final judges: Kong Jinlei, Li Yuan, Qian Zhongyuan, and Ying Luojia. They also engaged in one-on-one negotiations with industry guest representatives from investors, production companies, and distribution agencies, significantly enhancing the projects' possibilities of transitioning from the "script" to the "set".
Fei Qiming, a collaborating actor for the Young Coconut Project, expressed his appreciation for the shortlisted projects. He stated that he looks forward to everyone growing at the Young Coconut Project, letting creativity take root, imagination sprout leaves, and dreams bear fruit. He also hopes to journey together with everyone in the future, seeing more scenery along the path of creation.
At the ceremony, four official festival honors selected by the four final judges were officially announced and presented respectively by the attending judges; eight Feature Film Project Market Industry Partner Choice Honors were also announced in succession and awarded by representatives of the industry partners, providing targeted support and long-term assistance to drive the continuous growth of a diverse ecosystem.
At the end of the ceremony, three filmmakers from different roles took the stage one after another to share their creative journeys and cinematic visions under the theme "Why We Come." As fellow creators on the same path, they also offered their messages to the young authors present.
Gao Linyang, a review judge for the Young Coconut Project feature film financing session, as well as a director, screenwriter, and writer, recalled the journey of his parents driving over 3,000 kilometers from Shanxi to Hainan. He stated: "When we can move fast, we should advance as quickly as possible. But if we find it difficult to move fast for a time, we must also allow ourselves to slow down, because slowing down may also reveal different landscapes."
Yu Xi, a review judge for the Young Coconut Project feature film financing session, screenwriter and director, shared several reflections on the Young Coconut Project. First, one must protect their "touchpoint"—the unique emotions and feelings that belong to you, around which all creation revolves. Furthermore, one must infinitely amplify their "shining point"; only when the shining point is dazzling enough does it become meaningful to compensate for one's "shortcomings." Finally, although everyone comes to hear different voices, it is important to remember that creation is a beautiful endeavor.
Xu Mengjie, a collaborating actress for the Young Coconut Project, stated that every role and every work can have countless interpretations. As an actress, being able to play these characters and tell these stories, and having the opportunity to present them as I see them to the audience, makes me feel immensely cherished. "For me, acting relies on 'believing' and 'becoming'—believing in the character, believing in the world of the story, believing in oneself; becoming the character, becoming a new story, becoming a new self."
Wonderful performances by multiple guest performers were interspersed throughout the honors presentation ceremony. Singer Zheng Renyu performed "Speeding Glory," musical duo Sisi and Fan performed "Island Wind," and Yu Tian performed "Hanhan," paying tribute to Hainan, to cinema, and to young filmmakers.
As the ceremony concluded, the journey of the Young Coconut Project at the 7th Hainan Island International Film Festival (HIIFF) also comes to a temporary end, but for creators who love cinema, the story with film has only just begun. From a green sprout to a flourishing tree, the Young Coconut Project allows every sincere devotion to cinema to find soil to take root in, and allows the dreams of generations of creators to grow and be passed on. The coconut groves of Hainan remain evergreen, and the dream of cinema will never fade.
