SANYA, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- The first Hainan International Film Festival officially opened Tuesday night in the tropical coastal city of Sanya in the country's southern-most island province of Hainan.

The film festival is one of Hainan's first series of projects in building itself into a pilot free trade zone and a free trade port.

With Chinese movie star Jackie Chan as the promotional ambassador, the festival is attended by nearly 100 actors, actresses, and directors from home and abroad, including Oscar-winning actor Nicolas Cage from the United States, two-time Cannes winner Isabelle Huppert from France, and Aamir Khan from India.

Cage said Hainan is a good place to shoot films and hoped to work with Chinese counterparts to shoot movies in China, particularly in Hainan.

The festival aims to build a platform for communication, cooperation, and trade in the international film industry, according to the organizing committee.

Tong Daochi, the Communist Party chief of Sanya, said Hainan aims to build itself into a major player in the film industry not only in China but also in Asia.

The festival runs from Dec. 9 to 16 despite a late opening ceremony on Tuesday night. It features a wide variety of activities, such as opening and closing ceremonies, a competition section, film exhibitions, and forums, according to the organizing committee. Enditem

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