MCLC: Beijing Independent Film Fest (3)

[Denton, Kirk]

MCLC LIST
From: Kevin B Lee <kevin at dgeneratefilms.com>
Subject: Beijing Independent Film Fest (3)
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Source: Indiewire (8/20/12):
http://www.indiewire.com/article/beijing-indie-film-festival-goes-dark-afte
r-record-turnout-heads-underground

One of China’s indie film showcases fell dark on Saturday, as electrical
power was cut during the opening screening of the 9th Beijing Independent
Film Festival.

Held in the Songzhuang arts district in the outskirts of Beijing, the
festival’s opening ceremony drew about 500 attendees by organizers’
estimates, more than double the single day attendance record from past
editions of the festival.

The ceremony commenced Saturday afternoon, with artistic director Wang
Hongwei welcoming filmmakers and guests, followed by a screening of "Egg
and Stone" directed by Huang Ji. Winner of a Tiger Award at this year’s
Rotterdam International Film Festival, the film is a candid portrait of
sexual abuse in a rural Chinese family.

The screening was interrupted at midpoint by a power failure that affected
the entire residential block surrounding the venue. Organizers say that
prior to the outage local authorities had asked them not to screen the
film following the ceremony.

“[The authorities] called me and told me that there was a power failure,
and that they would try to fix it soon,” said art critic and curator Li
Xianting, who heads the film fund that runs the festival. “But nothing
happened, and when we tried to contact them back, they wouldn’t answer.”

Festival attendees waited outside for several hours for the power to come
back on.  After sunset, the remaining screenings scheduled for the day
were held at a private location.

Organized by the Li Xianting Film Fund, the festival is a leading venue
for Chinese films made outside of the official state apparatus. These
films include arthouse, experimental and documentary films, sometimes
dealing with mature content or socially sensitive topics.

“The festival is critically important for three reasons,” said
international festival programmer Shelly Kraicer. “It allows a community
of independent artists in China to gather and support each other’s work;
it allows them to watch films from and interact with filmmakers from
abroad; and it’s a crucial outlet for people from around the world to
access Chinese independent films.”

In recent years the Film Fund has encountered increasing difficulties with
local authorities concerning the events it organizes. Last year both the
Beijing Independent Film Festival and the Beijing Independent Documentary
Festival were prevented from screening films publicly. This year the
festival organizers tried in advance to reach an understanding with local
officials.

During their discussions, the authorities cited regulations made by the
State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) stipulating
that films and screenings in China are subject to official approval. The
festival organizers counter-argued that independently produced works
should not be subject to regulations intended to govern mainstream
commercial films; instead they should be categorized as works of art,
which typically are not subject to government approval.

“We told them that they would be contributing to the development of
progressive thinking and the advancement of our society and culture,” said
Zhang Qi, the Film Fund’s director of operations. “Some of the officials
could appreciate that and are supportive of our efforts.”

According to a report in the Global Times, a state-approved Chinese
newspaper, district security officials denied sending police to the
festival or taking action against it.

The event triggered a wave of responses on the Chinese microblog Weibo.
One commenter called for a boycott of officially approved Chinese films in
response to the shutdown. Other comments were more cryptic, a quality
endemic to Chinese social media, which is monitored by authorities.
Filmmaker Jia Zhangke posted, “Rumor has it the Film Bureau and Power
Supply Bureau have merged. Perhaps I should take up the art of shadow
puppetry.”
 

The Beijing Independent Film Festival does not have an official website,
as the Li Xianting Film Fund website was shut down last year. Online
promotion via social networks and microblogs may have contributed to the
strong opening turnout.

Slated to run through August 26, the festival is presently continuing its
planned activities in non-public venues, with participants being notified
of event details via word of mouth.