China's HIIFF Film Festival In Hainan Postponed Due To COVID-19 - Organizing Committee

BEIJING (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 30th November, 2022) The 4th Hainan Island International Film Festival (HIIFF), scheduled to be held from December 3-10 in China's resort city of Sanya, has been postponed indefinitely due to COVID-19, the organizing committee said on Wednesday.

"The 4th Hainan Island International Film Festival... is postponed due to the epidemiological situation in order to ensure the health and safety of participants," the organizing committee said in a statement.

The new dates for the festival will be announced at a later time, the committee added.

In September, media reported that 3,761 films from 116 countries and regions were expected to compete for the Golden Coconut Awards, the main HIIFF award, at the festival this year.

In recent months, China has once again seen a deterioration in the epidemiological situation due to numerous local outbreaks of COVID-19. In a number of cities, partial lockdowns have been introduced, and people have been forced to undergo PCR testing on a daily basis. Against this background, a wave of protests has swept across China, including in Shanghai and Beijing.