Year after year, light and shadow bear witness; this rendezvous has never been absent. On November 25, the press conference for the 7th Hainan Island International Film Festival (HIIFF) was held at the Hainan Provincial Press Conference Hall. Co-hosted by the China Media Group and the People's Government of Hainan Province, the 7th HIIFF is scheduled to take place in Sanya from December 3 to 9. At that time, global filmmakers, film critics, media professionals, and cinephiles will gather on the shores of the South China Sea, amidst the coconut groves and rolling waves, to jointly attend this grand celebration of films, filmmakers, and fans.
With the theme "Ocean of Visions, Boundless Light and Shadow," this edition of the festival centers on the objectives of "internationalization, marketization, and free trade port," upholding the philosophy of "year-round screening, island-wide screening,全民观影, and full industry chain." It aims to build a platform for international film cultural exchange and mutual learning among civilizations. The festival will host major events including the Opening Ceremony, Golden Coconut Awards Competition, Film Screenings, Golden Coconut Forum, HIIFF Fresh Coconut Lab Venture Capital, Golden Coconut Masterclass, and the Closing Ceremony & Golden Coconut Awards Ceremony. The venues for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies continue to be selected at Phoenix Island, a landmark area in Sanya. Specifically, the Opening Ceremony is scheduled for December 3, and the Closing Ceremony for December 9.
01
Domestic and International Filmmakers Gather; "Golden Coconut Awards" Submissions Hit a Record High
As the core competition section of the festival, the Golden Coconut Awards Competition and Screening sections of this edition have collected outstanding films globally, featuring three main sections: Feature Film, Documentary, and Short Film. Led by Jury President Marco Müller, the international jury consists of 13 renowned domestic and international film professionals, including 7 Feature Film jurors, 3 Documentary jurors, and 3 Short Film jurors. Juliette Binoche serves as the Image Ambassador. World-renowned director James Cameron will bring his core creative team to Sanya to attend the China premiere of Avatar: Fire and Ash on December 8, leading the audience back to the magnificent world of Pandora. Filmmakers from around the world gathering in Sanya fully demonstrates the international vision and professional caliber of the festival.
The film submissions for this edition reflect the dual characteristics of "internationalization" and "diversification," receiving a total of 4,564 submitted films from 119 countries and regions, including 788 feature films, 403 feature documentaries, and 3,373 short films, hitting a record high. These films enter the three sections of Feature Film, Documentary, and Short Film, competing for 10 major awards including Best Picture, Grand Jury Prize, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Scriptwriter, Best Visual Effect, Best Chinese Contribution of the Year, Best Documentary Film, and Best Short Film. Outstanding films may also receive two special honors: the "Organizing Committee Special Mention" and the "Jury Special Mention."
02
Island-Wide Shared Screenings; Cultural and Tourism Integration Benefits the Public and Adds Brilliance
The screenings at this edition of the festival will continue to feature three major sectors: the Golden Coconut Awards Competition Section, Non-Competition Section, and Open-Air Screenings. As the last international film festival of the year, the screening sector takes "Essence of Global Film Festivals" as its overall curatorial direction, gathering over a hundred high-quality films from internationally renowned festivals such as Cannes, Locarno, Venice, Toronto, and Busan, centrally showcasing the latest achievements of the global film industry. The festival takes multiple measures to ensure film fans "love to come, stay long, and enjoy themselves," launching the "全民观影" campaign. Screenings will begin this November and continue until the New Year's Day holiday next year, with a concentrated screening of 120 to 150 Chinese and international films at 12 cinemas and multiple open-air screening venues across Sanya, Haikou, and Lingshui.
Meanwhile, 18 cities and counties across the island will carry out public welfare screenings of outstanding films. The "Golden Coconut Carnival" deepens the theme of "Touring Hainan and Touring Sanya through Films," featuring a rich array of activities alongside the festival. Leveraging the opportunity of the China Film Consumption Year, Sanya will successively launch over 20 cultural and tourism activities, including the 2025 Tropical Coastal City Exchange Event, 2025 China Classic Car Rally and New Energy Vehicle Assembly Race, 14th Round Hainan Island International Big Boat Race, Asian Youth Music Festival, Low-Altitude Art World-Class Drone Show, 2026 "Friends of Time" New Year's Eve Speech, and G.E.M. Concert. Coupled with Sanya's distribution of duty-free consumption vouchers and film consumption benefit activities at the end of the year, these diverse activities will further invigorate the winter cultural and tourism market.
03
Diverse and Rich Industry Sector; Building a Complete Ecological Chain
In terms of the film industry sector, this edition of the festival will feature five professional forums, one Hainan Film and Television Industry Investment Promotion (Signing) Conference, and the HIIFF Fresh Coconut Lab Venture Capital.
The main forum will be themed "High-Quality Development of Chinese Cinema: Free Trade Port Opportunities and New Drivers for Film Industry Development," revolving around topics related to the 130th anniversary of the birth of world cinema and the 120th anniversary of the birth of Chinese cinema. At this year's main forum, the festival organizing committee will partner with the China Film Archive to release the "2025 China Film Economic Development Research Report" domestically for the first time. At the same time, a "2025 Hainan Island-Wide Location Promotion" segment will be set up, focusing on the upgraded version of the "Shoot in Hainan, Hainan Shoot" mini-program, and the "Hainan Free Trade Port Film and Television Industry Related Policies" will be released. The themes of the other four forums are respectively the Ocean Culture and Tourism Image Seminar, the 16th China Film Technology Forum, the China-ASEAN Film and Television Exchange and Communication Forum, and the Southeast Asian Film Culture Forum.
As the pitching brand of the Hainan Island International Film Festival (HIIFF), HIIFF Fresh Coconut Lab has been upgraded to a major event in the industry section this year, encompassing four core components: "Young Coconut Academy", "Short Film Training Camp", "Feature Film Pitching", and "Market Screening". It builds a results transformation chain from "student graduation projects" and "short film incubation" to "feature film pitching" and "copyright trading". The Short Film Training Camp received a total of 343 valid project submissions, and the top 6 projects have now entered the production phase, with the completed films to be showcased at the festival's internal industry screening events. The Feature Film Pitching received 457 project submissions, and 15 projects have been selected to undergo final pitching roadshows during the festival, injecting fresh vitality into the film industry.
From December 7 to 11, the "7th Hainan Island International Film Festival · Lenovo AI Film Season" will also be held, featuring a series of events including AI technology and humanities art salons, an AI experimental image exhibition, and an international AI film joint screening.
04
Deepening International Exchange, Abundant Major Events
Taking the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Thailand in 2025 as an opportunity, the festival is launching a "Film Theme Series for the 50th Anniversary of China-Thailand Diplomatic Relations". A Thai film and television theme exhibition will be set up at the festival's main screening venue in Sanya to showcase the achievements of Thailand's film and television industry, and a Thai film theme screening will also be held in the screening section.
Notably, the China premiere of Avatar: Fire and Ash will be held on December 8, allowing audiences to watch the film ahead of its mainland China theatrical release on December 19. James Cameron will bring the core creative team to Sanya to attend the China premiere, leading the audience back to the magnificent world of Pandora.
05
Key Visual Poster Unveiled, Interpreting the Imagery of Light and Shadow
The key visual poster for this edition of the festival was also unveiled at the press conference. The fantastical scene of a little girl running on the sea holding a film strip echoes the open and inclusive maritime characteristics of the Hainan Free Trade Port, symbolizing the beautiful vision of film art permeating life like the tide and inspiring infinite possibilities. It conveys the broad-mindedness of the 7th HIIFF, which "embraces all rivers and knows no boundaries in light and shadow", serving both as a tribute to the construction achievements of the Free Trade Port and as an invitation to global filmmakers to jointly build the future of light and shadow.
