POV poster of the 7th Hainan Island International Film Festival. (Source: HiNews)

On November 25, a press conference was held in Haikou by the 7th Hainan Island International Film Festival (HIIFF). According to the press conference, this year's HIIFF will take place in Sanya from December 3rd to the 9th.

Held with the theme "From Oceans, to the Infinite," this year's film festival will host such main events as the Golden Coconut Award ceremony, the Golden Coconut Forum, the Golden Coconut Master Class, and opening and closing ceremonies.

Per the usual, the opening and closing ceremonies will be held at Sanya's landmark Phoenix Island, with the opening ceremony taking place on the 3rd and the closing ceremony taking place on the 9th.

As the core competition section of the festival, films participating in this year's HIIFF will be eligible for both ordinary screenings and for the "Golden Coconut Award", which will be include feature film, shorts, and documentary categories.

Led by jury president Marco Mueller, an international jury of 13 renowned domestic and international film professionals will include seven feature film judges, three documentary judges, and three short film judges. 

International jury of the 7th HIIFF Golden Coconut Awards Feature Film Competition. (Source: HiNews)

International jury of the 7th HIIFF Golden Coconut Awards Feature Documentary Competition. (Source: HiNews)

International jury of the 7th HIIFF Golden Coconut Awards Short Film Competition. (Source: HiNews)

This year's festival received a record breaking 4,564 submissions from 119 countries and regions, including 788 feature films, 403 feature documentaries, and 3,373 short films.

A total of 10 prizes, including Best Film, Grand Jury Award, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Screenplay, Best Visual Effects, Best Chinese Contribution, Best Documentary, and Best Short Film, will be awarded. Outstanding films will also be eligible for: "Special Mention from the Jury" and "Special Mention from the Organizing Committee".

In addition to the Golden Coconut Award, this year's HIIFF will continue to feature a non-competitive section and open-air screenings. As the last international film festival of the year, the screening section is curated around the theme of "the best of global film festivals from around the world" with over a hundred high-quality films from internationally renowned film festivals such as Cannes, Locarno, Venice, Toronto, and Busan, showcasing the latest achievements in the global film industry.

Using the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Thailand in 2025 as a hook, this year's HIIFF is launching a series of commemorative film-themed events, including a Thai Pavilion at Summer Mall in Sanya to show off the achievements of Thailand's film and television industry, and a screening section featuring Thai films.

James Cameron and his creative team will also be present in Sanya for the Chinese premiere of his sci-fi blockbuster "Avatar: Fire and Ash" on December 8th.