Overview
- Running December 3–9 in Sanya, the 7th HIIFF drew a record 4,564 submissions from 119 countries, with 14 features, 10 shorts and six documentaries competing for the Golden Coconut Award.
- Jury president Marco Müller said the slot between AFM and Berlin lets Hainan showcase films that will shape the coming year rather than recap the last.
- An ocean-focused symposium organized by the China Association of Ocean Engineering gathered around 300 participants and led to a CAOE–MAGICUBEYE FILM memorandum to produce Haitan Jiuyuandui (Beach Rescuers).
- Presentations proposed shoots in the Xisha (Paracel) Islands and highlighted Wuzhizhou and South China Sea fishing culture as subjects and locations.
- At a high-quality development forum, officials promoted Hainan Free Trade Port policies, welcomed a Thai cultural delegation, and unveiled the festival’s first industry economics report presented by Sun Xianghui spotlighting the Global South.