The first Hainan International Film Festival (HIFF) will kick off on Sunday in the tropical city of Sanya, south China's Hainan Province.
The "Golden Coconut" is the main competition's top prize and will be launched in 2019, and Chinese film star Jackie Chan has been appointed the ambassador of the first edition of HIFF.
Among the big names attending the event are French actresses Isabelle Huppert and Juliette Binoche, Indian filmmaker and actor Aamir Khan, Danish actor Mads Dittmann Mikkelsen, Turkish photographer, and director Nuri Bilge Ceylan, and American actress Emma Dumont.
More than 100 films from over 30 countries and regions will be screened during the event, with many having their Asian premiere.
CGTN has compiled some of the titles that will play in the next week.
A news conference for the first Hainan International Film Festival is held in Boao, Hainan Province, China, October 29, 2018. /VCG Photo
'Arctic'
Starring Danish actor Mads Dittmann Mikkelsen, who also starred in the TV series "Hannibal," "Arctic" is the opening film of the festival, and will be making its debut on the Chinese mainland.
The movie tells the story of a man named Overgard (Mikkelsen) who got stranded in the Arctic following an air crash and is trying to seek a way out despite odds playing against him. Enduring freezing temperatures, he is located by a helicopter, which crashes in a snowstorm as it tries to pick him up. What follows is a journey for survival along with an injured stranger, the Russian co-pilot of the aircraft.
Chinese actor Huang Xiaoming speaks during a news conference for the first Hainan International Film Festival in Boao, Hainan Province, China, October 29, 2018. /VCG Photo
It's the debut feature of Joe Penna, a Brazilian director famous for his YouTube videos, and has been nominated for the Golden Camera award at Cannes this year.
'Ayka'
"Ayka" will be played as part of the "Thule International Section" during the festival. Kazakh Director Sergey Dvortsevoy follows the struggles of Kyrgyz young woman Ayka, who lives illegally in Russia and abandons her newborn after giving birth.
The leading actress, Samal Yeslyamova, won the Best Actress at Cannes this year.
Actress Samal Yeslyamova poses with the Best Actress award for her role in "Ayka" (The Little One) at the photocall of the Palme d'Or Winner during the 71st annual Cannes Film Festival at Palais des Festivals in Cannes, France, May 19, 2018. /VCG Photo
Other international films include Silver Bear-winning "The Other Side of Hope," Icelandic film "The Swan," which will be screened along with China's "Long Time No Sea," and "SHe," chosen as the Best Animation Film at Golden Goblet Awards during the Shanghai International Film Festival.
HIFF is featuring eight sidebars, namely Thule International Section, Cape International Section, Now China, Echo of the World, Peking Opera Live, Next Wave Hainan, Immersive VR Section, and Sound of Silence-Silent Film Concert, with each giving special attention to one film category.
The event will run through December 16.
(Top Photo: Actor Mads Mikkelsen (L) and director Joe Penna attend the screening of "Arctic" during the 71st annual Cannes Film Festival at Palais des Festivals in Cannes, France, May 10, 2018. /VCG Photo)