The Golden Coconut Awards Celebrate International Cinema Achievements at the 6th HIIFF

The Grand Conclusion of the 6th HIIFF

On December 10, 2024, the 6th Hainan Island International Film Festival (HIIFF) came to a dazzling close after a week-long celebration of global cinema in Sanya, Hainan province, China. The stunning Phoenix Island hosted the awards ceremony for the coveted Golden Coconut Awards, marking a significant highlight of the event, which featured over 4,300 film entries from an impressive 117 countries and regions.

Awards of Distinction: Celebrating Global Talent

At the heart of the festival, the Golden Coconut Awards recognized outstanding achievements in filmmaking. The top honors for Best Picture went to Holy Electricity, directed by Georgian filmmaker Tato Kotetishvili. Additionally, Serbian director Emilija Gasic's film, 78 Days, received the Grand Jury Prize, celebrating its compelling storytelling and artistic merit.

In the realm of direction, Laetitia Dosch was awarded for her exceptional work on Dog on Trial, while Alberth Merma was recognized as Best Actor for his performance in Through Rocks and Clouds, and Preeti Panigrahi took home the award for Best Actress for her role in Girls Will Be Girls. The film's narrative achievements were further acknowledged through the Best Screenwriting award, which went to Ruth Becquart and Leonardo Van Dijl for Julie Keeps Quiet.

Emerging talents were also recognized, with Chinese director Dong Zijian's debut film, My Friend An Delie, winning accolades in both the categories of Best Visual Effects and Best Contribution by a Chinese Film of the Year. Meanwhile, An Oscillating Shadow, directed by Chilean-Argentinian Celeste Rojas Mugica, secured the Best Documentary award, and the Best Short Film was awarded to Vox Humana, a work by Filipino filmmaker Don Josephus Raphael Eblahan.