SANYA, December 3. /TASS/. Seven documentaries by directors from Cambodia, China, US and other countries became finalists in their category and will compete for the main prize of the Hainan Island International Film Festival, which is running in China's Sanya now.
Among the finalists are the film "About Love" directed by Archana Fadke, "Kabul, the city of the wind" by Abuzar Amini, "Last night I saw your smile" (Kavich Nyang), "The Time Machine" by directors Sun Yang and Jiang Songchang, "Pahuki" by Patrick Bresnan and Iveta Lucas, “When Persimmon is Ripe” by Khilal Baydarov, as well as “Sahara Street 143” (Hassin Ferhani).
“I really hope to see talented films at the festival,” Indian film director Aruna Vasudev, a member of the juries, told reporters before watching the films. “My path in cinema started with France and only later I discovered Asia. And I think that Asia very important today [in the world of cinema]. I believe that thanks to the film festival we will be able to better understand the Asian cinema industry,” the director noted.
In turn, the American filmmaker, screenwriter Abel Ferrara, said that "watching movies together is always a positive experience." “All my life I dreamed of going to Asia, and this is my first time. I not only hope to enjoy the films, but also get to know the local culture, people, the country better,” he said.
The festival was first held on Hainan in December 9-16, 2018, and it was officially declared "one of China's major film festivals." The screening is supported by the Hainan authorities and with the approval of the Propaganda Department of the Chinese Communist Party Central Committee. The world's first Hainan film festival was attended by such world-famous actors and directors as Jackie Chan, Aamir Khan, Nicolas Cage, Johnny Depp, Nuri Bilge Ceylan.
This year the second film festival is being held on December 1-8 in Sanya.