SANYA /China/, December 16. /The 5th Hainan International Film Festival (HIFF) was launched on Saturday in Sanya with a musical performance by Chinese artists. The ceremony, attended by provincial government officials, was held at an open-air venue on the grounds of the Shangri-La Hotel, which is located on the shores of Haitang Bay.

"A good film can often touch the heart, give strength, point the way forward and illuminate the future," Fan Yun, deputy editor-in-chief of China Media Group, who is also vice chairman of the HIFF organizing committee, said at the official ceremony.

Addressing the ceremony, he noted that the number of applications received for screenings at the film festival from both China and abroad shows the growing popularity of the event. He said the China Media Group will in turn continue to tell the story of Hainan and China, as well as the story of building ties between Chinese civilization and the rest of the world.

Film screenings

The film festival program began with a screening of the Belgium-France collaboration of The Other Lawrence (L'Autre Laurens) directed by Claude Schmitz, marking the first time the work has been shown on the big screen in Asia. The film was part of the Cannes Film Festival program in the spring of 2023.

The film tells the story of a private detective who joins the investigation of his brother's murder at the request of his daughter, who does not trust the official version of the police. The main character gets involved in a story that intertwines complex family relationships and interests of criminal circles.

About the competition program

According to the organizers, a total of more than 4 thousand applications for screenings from 109 countries and regions of the world were received in 2023. Nuri Bilge Ceylan, a renowned Turkish director who has won numerous awards at the Cannes Film Festival, including the Palme d'Or for his film Winter Sleep, has been chosen as the President of the Jury of this year's festival. Together with the rest of the jury, he will evaluate the films selected for the competition program in three categories: feature films, documentaries and short works.

The film festival will be open until December 22 and will end with the presentation of the main award - the Golden Coconut Award. This year, a total of 24 films were selected for the main competition program of the festival. Among them 12 feature films, 4 documentaries and 8 short films from all over the world. Works from such countries as the USA, the Netherlands, Iran, Switzerland, Italy, China, France, Austria, Great Britain, Cameroon, Denmark, the Philippines, Czech Republic, Singapore, Costa Rica and India were included in the competition section.

The Golden Coconut Awards will be given in categories such as Best Picture, Best Director, Special Jury Award, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Actor, Best Screenplay, Best Technology, Best Documentary and Best Short Film.

During the film festival, the audience will be able to see about 100 different films that were not included in the main competition program across the island. Screenings are organized in cinemas in cities such as Sanya, Haikou, Danzhou, Ledong, Linshui and Wuzhishan.

Unlike previous film festivals, the new section called Hainan Regard will draw the viewers' attention to films by lesser-known studios and filmmakers from countries such as Kazakhstan, India and Italy, as well as the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and Hainan Province, among others.

This year's opening ceremony will not feature a red carpet for the stars of the film industry but will be present on the last day of the festival. Winners in the categories of the competition program will be announced then as well. The Chinese film "Snow Leopard" by Tibetan director Pema Tseden, who has already won the Grand Prix at the Tokyo International Film Festival, will close the film festival. The director himself died on May 8, 2023 at the age of 53.

About the film festival

The Hainan International Film Festival is recognized as one of the four major film festivals in China. It was held for the first time in December 2018. It has hosted actors and directors such as Jackie Chan, Nicolas Cage, Johnny Depp and Nuri Bilge Ceylan.

It is the youngest film festival in China, but it has already managed to attract the attention of viewers and experts alike. The film festival is supported by the State Film Administration and co-sponsored by China Central Radio and Television and the People's Government of Hainan Province.