Editor's Note:

As China has grown to become the world's second largest film market, the world has turned its attention to it. To achieve even faster growth in its film industry, China has started to rejuvenate and launch old and new film festivals in various cities to build more platforms for filmmakers, both domestic and international, to exchange ideas and cooperate. Here are the top 10 most celebrated film festivals in China.

10. Hainan Island International Film Festival

The annual Hainan Island International Film Festival (HIIFF) just concluded its second annual run on Dec. 8 in the tropical coastal city of Sanya in China's southernmost island province of Hainan. It is the youngest film festival, co-hosted by the China Media Group and Hainan provincial government, under the guidance of the China Film Administration. The festival screens mostly low and medium budget, art-house, and lesser known films outside the realm of Hollywood and Chinese blockbusters. 2019 marks the first year of the HIIFF's "Golden Coconut Awards" and the festival was attended by a number of international filmmakers and stars such as Johnny Depp, Aamir Khan, Jackie Chan and Isabelle Huppert in last two years.

Besides routine industry forums, screenings (especially its unique beach screenings) and master classes, this year the film festival introduced new platforms - H!Market and H!Action for film marketing and production investment. New business models for the entire film production chain will also be explored in the future to help turn Hainan into a "film island." Hainan has great advantages as it is one of Asia's top tourist destinations, and the nation's designated free trade zone.