For the second time, we were invited to the island of Hainan, often referred to as “East Hawaii”, to participate in the 7th Hainan Island International Film Festival. The following summary of our festival experience is an abridged version of our article in China Magazine.
From 3 to 9 December 2025, the Hainan Island International Film Festival was held for the seventh time.
The main events of the province-wide simultaneous event series were again held in Sanya, the southernmost city in China. The palm tree-lined streets, the proximity of the ocean and the pleasant temperatures of around 25 degrees Celsius continued to give a special, exotic atmosphere to China's last major film event of each year.
In addition to the competition sections for feature films, documentaries and short films competing for the Golden Coconut Award, important contemporary and classic films from all over the island were screened in the spirit of 130 years of film and 120 years of Chinese film. To mark the 50th anniversary of Sino-Thai diplomatic relations, a 70-member Thai film delegation and a number of films were screened at the festival. In addition to the screenings, the programme included a number of professional forums and a series of AI events.
A Canadian-Hungarian feature film, the Blue Heron (Blue heron, 2025) was one of the films in the competition and won the Best Screenplay award at the closing ceremony. In the story, set in the 1990s, a Hungarian family moving to Canada finds it increasingly difficult to cope with their teenage son's increasingly extreme and self-destructive behaviour, without effective outside help. One of the jury members presenting the award was director Gu Xiaogang, whose On the shores of Lake West was screened at the Imagery Chinese Film Week in 2024.
However, alongside the unique, sometimes experimental and more artistic works, one of the main focuses of the festival was the commercial side of filmmaking. This year, from 18 December, Hainan will become a free trade port, which was highlighted at the opening ceremony, closing gala and professional forums. A number of provisions targeting potential incoming film companies and productions, including financial subsidies and discounts, housing support, tax rebates and a dedicated film app, are aimed at boosting Hainan's film market.
This year's biggest film festival was also aimed at a wider audience rather than art film fans. Alongside Chinese stars and Juliette Binoche, the other notable foreign guest was James Cameron, who, along with Zoe Saldana, came to Hainan in person for the Avatar 3 - Fire and ash premiere in China, scheduled for 8 December. Screenings took place in three time slots, with five cinema screens at a time. The author of this article was one of the lucky ones who were able to watch Pandora's latest adventure in 3D on an LED screen and attend the director's masterclass the next day.
In addition to the many experiences and professional knowledge, the author of this article has also participated in several meetings with the artistic directors of the film festival and the head of the local film office, during which three concrete cooperation plans for 2026 were developed. For more developments, follow the social media platforms of the Imagery Chinese Film Week!
