James Cameron to attend China premiere of Avatar: Fire and Ash in Sanya

Director James Cameron will attend the China premiere of Avatar: Fire and Ash in Sanya, Hainan province, the organizers of the 7th Hainan Island International Film Festival announced Monday, with a reported record number of global submissions for the upcoming festival.

The seventh edition of the festival is set to run from Dec 3 to 9 in the tropical coastal city. Cameron, alongside his creative team, will participate in the Chinese premiere event for the new Avatar installment on Dec 8, inviting audiences to return to the vast world of Pandora.

This year's festival has seen unprecedented interest, receiving 4,564 film submissions from 119 countries and regions, a new high in its history. The entries include 788 feature films, 403 documentary features, and 3,373 short films. These films will compete in the Golden Coconut Awards across three main categories: feature film, documentary, and short film.

Under the theme "From Oceans, To The Infinite", the festival aims to build an international platform for cinematic cultural exchange. The event will feature opening and closing ceremonies, the "Golden Coconut Awards" competition, film screenings, masterclasses, the awards ceremony, forums, and a project market aiming to support emerging film creators.

The international jury will be chaired by Marco Müller, the Italian film critic, award-winning film producer, and former director of Rotterdam, Locarno, Venice, and Rome film festivals. The panel comprises 13 renowned film professionals, including seven for the feature film competition. French actress Juliette Binoche serves as the festival's image ambassador, while model-actress Lin Chi-ling is the ambassador for the screenings.

The screening section, programmed to showcase global cinematic highlights, will present over 100 quality films recently featured at major international festivals like Cannes, Venice, and Toronto. The "Cinema for All" initiative will see 120 to 150 Chinese and international films screened from November through the New Year's holiday in 12 cinemas across Sanya, Haikou, and Lingshui, as well as at various outdoor locations across the province.

The industry segment includes five professional forums and a project market. From Dec 5 to 9, a series of AI film events will be held, featuring seminars, an experimental AI image exhibition, and international AI film screenings.

Marking the 50th anniversary of China-Thailand diplomatic relations next year, the festival will host a special Thai film showcase and a thematic exhibition on the Thai film and television industry.

The festival's official visual poster, unveiled at Monday's news conference, depicts a girl running across the sea holding film reels, symbolizing the boundless possibilities of film art and reflecting the open and inclusive spirit of the Hainan Free Trade Port.