SANYA /China/, December 3. /TASS/. Hundreds of actors, film directors and cinema enthusiasts from China and other countries gathered for the opening ceremony of the seventh Hainan Island International Film Festival (HIIFF). The event that featured performances by artistic groups took place on Phoenix Island in Sanya, a city on the coast of the South China Sea.

"Culture connects minds, and art can communicate with the world. Our international film festival, established thanks to the Hainain Free Trade Port project, is a festive event with year-round film screenings for everyone across the island and an idea that brings together [cinema] industry chains, while attracting increasing global attention," Hainan Governor Liu Xiaoming stressed.

According to him, HIIFF is designed to be "a wonderful identity card" for the province showcasing its charm and driving deeper cooperation and promotion between all interested parties. In this way, the governor noted, Hainan creates opportunities for mutually advantageous cooperation.

Russia ready for cooperation

The ceremony was attended by Deputy Khabarovsk Mayor Maria Matayeva. In an interview with a TASS correspondent, she emphasized the importance of Russian films competing at the Hainan film festival.

This year’s special guest at HIIFF is actor Chen Baoguo. Throughout his career, he has played numerous Chinese emperors, including Zhu Yuanzhang (1368-1644), the founder of the Ming dynasty. "Over the past 130 years [of world cinema history], we have seen countless characters in the play of light and shadow. <…> And we are having a kind of dialogue with ourselves - our previous selves – and with cinema professionals and amateurs on the other side of the screen," Chen emphasized as he described the communication between audiences and people in the cinema industry.

Among overseas guests either expected to arrive at the festival or already attending are Canadian film director James Cameron and French actress Juliette Binoche.

Khabarovsk Mayor Sergey Kravchuk shared a message of congratulations on the occasion of a major cultural event taking place in Hainan. The Far Eastern Russian city has held the status of Sanya’s twin city since 2011.

"I am confident that this film festival will run in the spirit of realism, fraternity, respect, and love," the Russian official stressed. "We look forward to welcoming you to our snowy city, a city of military glory. May happiness, good luck, health, and peace be with you all!" he concluded.

Large-scale event in cinema industry in Hainan

A series of events organized by China Media Group and the Hainan Provincial Government will run until December 9. Fourteen feature films, 10 short films and six documentaries from around 20 countries and regions will compete for the Golden Coconut Award. All of the films were released in 2025.

Feature film contenders include Lee Hong-chi's "A Dance in Vain" (Taiwan), Shahram Mokri's "Black Rabbit, White Rabbit" (Tajikistan/UAE), Sophy Romvari's "Blue Heron" (Canada/Hungary), Miguel de Zuviria's "Brought with the Storm" (Argentina), Alexandre Koberidze’s "Dry Leaf" (Germany/Georgia), and two more Chinese films, Ye Zhenpeng's "Eternal Summer" and Zhang Lyu's "Gloaming in Luomu."

This major annual event in Hainan showcases films from around the world and is one of China's most important film festivals. The inaugural festival took place in December 2018. Notable participants have included actors and directors such as Jackie Chan, Nicolas Cage, Johnny Depp, Nuri Bilge Ceylan, and Sophie Marceau. In 2021, the festival was cancelled due to the pandemic. The previous, sixth Hainan Island International Film Festival was held on December 4 – 10, 2024.