SANYA /China/, December 8. /The lifestyle of the southern Chinese province of Hainan is ideal for filmmaking, Russian movie director Daur Ladaria told TASS.

"When we arrived, we first went for a snack. And almost every place we saw can be called cinematic," he said, commenting on his work during the 6th Hainan International Film Festival (HIFF). "Each of them has its own amazing life. We can say that the local world gives us a lot of cinematic texture."

Ladaria noted that Hainan is very beautiful and that he had a unique feeling when he flew into the city of Sanya. "I've never had a flight like this before and the feeling of landing on the island was amazing," he added. "It's my first time here and I love it: it's a completely different culture, so when we got here I couldn't stop telling my cameraman that our movie was an amazing excursion into a completely different world.

The director says it's too early to tell to what extent his short film, "Murmur of August," which is a contender for the  HIFF Golden Coconut Award, will resonate with local viewers. He also talked about how the script of the movie, which was shot in the Abkhazian town of Tkvarcheli, changed. "I was looking for actors for supporting roles, and I traveled to schools. And while we were choosing guys from graduates, I realized that the movie should be changed for them," said Ladaria. "We changed it very quickly, made it about high school graduates who go to a new life, leaving their hometown".

The director admitted that he was very happy that his work was selected for the Hainan Film Festival. "To be honest, I didn't expect my movie to be accepted, to be selected as an entry in the competition," he said.

Ladaria also told TASS about his plans for the future. He intends to shoot three films including a feature film. The director decided not to go into details about the latter. "This movie is going to have a lot of Dagestani people in it. I am interested in working with their reality" he said. "So now I am being pulled in three directions, further I will focus on the existing opportunities."

A trip to Hainan

Ladaria pointed out the unique features of China's southernmost province. He admitted that he was also interested in seeing "how different China can be from city to city and region to region."

Speaking about the prospect of making his own film about Hainan, the director noted that one has to be very careful and responsible in the creative process of "diving into a new world." "You can't just go in with a movie. You have to understand the relevant issues first," he explained.

Recognized as one of the PRC's most important film festivals, HIFF debuted in December 2018. The large-scale event has hosted world-renowned actors and directors such as Jackie Chan, Nicolas Cage, Johnny Depp and Nuri Bilge Ceylan. This year, it will be held from December 4 to 10 under the theme "From Oceans, With Visions". Alongside "Murmur of August", another Russian film called "Fence" and directed by Lev Evlampiev, is competing for the Golden Coconut Award.