The seventh Hainan Island International Film Festival kicks off on Dec 3 in Sanya, Hainan province. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The opening ceremony of the seventh Hainan Island International Film Festival was held on Dec 3 in Sanya, Hainan province.

Hainan Governor Liu Xiaoming used the opportunity to illustrate a relationship between the history of the world's cinema industry and the island province's development with the Hainan Free Trade Port, citing the festival as a global "reception room" for film. The festival will showcase stories of Hainan and China.

Wednesday also saw an international jury meet-up for the group that will select the winner of the Golden Coconut Award at the festival. The competition is divided into feature film, short film, and documentary categories. The jury consists of 13 film professionals from China and abroad, including seven for feature films, three for short films, and three for documentaries.

Italian film critic Marco Muller, the jury president for the feature film category, expressed optimism about the festival. "Although there are quite a few film festivals in Asia in autumn and winter, a truly global communication platform has not yet emerged. I hope the Hainan Island International Film Festival can fulfill this role," he said.

Chinese actor and feature film juror Guo Tao said excellent works should move the audience, noting that commercial films and personal artistic expression represent the diversity of cinema.

Mei Ting, also a Chinese actor and feature film juror, highlighted the recent trend of films with female protagonists, saying they increase the platform of three-dimensional and authentic female voices.

Chinese director and feature film juror Gu Xiaogang said Hainan's film industry is on the rise. "We often observe from an external perspective. Whether or not there can be a better internal viewpoint to understand this land, I think the Hainan Island International Film Festival offers this possibility," Gu said.

The festival runs from Wednesday to next Tuesday. This year's Golden Coconut Award competition includes 14 feature films, six documentaries, and 10 short films vying for 10 awards.