HAIKOU /China/, December 8. /TASS/. The fourth Hainan International Film Festival (HIFF) in the Chinese resort city of Sanya, originally scheduled for December 3-10, but postponed due to a COVID outbreak in the region, will be held December 18-25. The organizing committee of the film festival published a notice to that effect on Thursday.

The Hainan International Film Festival received a total of more than 3,700 applications for screenings from 116 countries, according to the organizers. Some 3,050 films were received from abroad, accounting for 81.1% of the total number of applications for participation.

A total of 12 feature films, 8 documentaries and 12 short films have been selected for the main competition program. The Golden Coconut will be awarded in categories such as Best Picture, Best Director, Special Jury Prize, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Screenplay, Best Technology, Best Documentary and Best Short Film.

The 3rd Hainan International Film Festival was held December 5-12, 2020. The films there were not only presented in cinemas, but also screened online. During this large-scale event, audiences viewed 189 films from 60 countries and regions around the world.

The Hainan Island International Film Festival is recognized as one of the top four film festivals in the PRC. It was first held in December 2018 in the resort city of Sanya. World-renowned actors and directors such as Jackie Chan, Nicolas Cage, Johnny Depp, Nuri Bilge Ceylan, and others took part. The 2021 event was scheduled for December 5-12 but did not take place due to anti-COVID restrictions.