This year's HIIFF amassed a total of 3761 films from 116 countries and regions around the globe to compete for the Golden Coconut Awards. A jury with 13 film artists from China and around the world selected 11 titles in the feature competition, eight in the documentary competition, and 10 in shorts.

The much-anticipated event is also holding public screenings across the island. Over 100 films are expected to be exhibited and organized across the six categories of "gala," "fest best," "Asian new directors," "panorama," "new horizons" and "classics."

Also, five prestigious filmmakers were invited to share their experiences and insights at the Master Class. They include Marie-Pierre Duhamel (a French film curator and translator), Kees Van Oostrum (a Dutch cinematographer and educator), Jan Schütte (a German film director and screenwriter), as well as Chinese directors Li Shaohong and Wen Yan (Vivian Qu).

Launched in 2018, HIIFF is held annually in December in Hainan Province, and is an example of China's dedication to strengthening international film and culture exchange and collaboration, promoting innovative development in the film industry, and fostering creativity in filmmaking.