【新唐人2014年08月27日訊】「第11屆北京獨立影像展」在8月23日舉辦前夕，被通州區警方強迫取消。警方搜查主辦方辦公室，帶走主辦人員兩人。一百多名學者、作家、律師聯署呼籲書，要求立即停止對獨立影展的非法干擾。
據《美國之音》報導，通州區政法委書記石寶玉在23號下午帶隊，跳牆進入主辦方電影基金的場所，強行查抄所有電腦，近十年的影像資料、賬簿等，並將電影基金創始人栗憲庭和藝術總監王宏偉，強行帶到派出所。經過宋莊藝術家們集體聲援好幾個小時，栗憲庭和王宏偉才在當晚10點多獲釋。
影展策劃人、北京藝術工作者栗憲庭在微信上發佈消息稱，從8月18號影展的海報和排片表在網絡上發佈後，就受到警方監視。國安人員和當地政府部門還向他施壓，要求影展停辦。後來，宋莊小堡村領導曾到他家，傳達上頭停辦影展的指示，但又說同意影展離開北京，到河北燕郊舉辦。
於是在上週四，電影基金會預定了河北「燕郊匯福酒店」的放映場地，但後來收到酒店通知說，警方不許酒店舉辦影展。北京公安第二天帶走電影節兩名籌備人員，扣押了5個小時，直到他們簽署「停辦影展承諾書」後才獲釋。
中國律師觀察中心的創辦人、法律學者趙國君，23號發起聯署，對當局通過恐嚇、限制、騷擾、關押等非法手段，侵害藝術自由和侵犯人權的行為，表示嚴重關注。
趙國君對《新唐人》表示，「獨立影像展」電影節涵蓋類型片，故事片和記錄片。影片都是由一些對電影有追求的民間電影人個人製作，持獨立立場。民間的電影節不需向政府報備，獲得批准，當局也沒有權利對其封殺。
中國律師觀察中心創辦人趙國君：「那甚麼是結社自由啊？甚麼是表達自由啊？甚麼是藝術的創作自由啊？另外即便有，我們現在特別追問的是，為甚麼這種藝術審查不用公開的法定理由呢？為甚麼要用這種所謂的流氓化的干擾呢？這個首先本身就是問題。」
參與聯署的北京企業家王瑛表示，中共對言論自由的打壓會不斷升級。
北京企業家王瑛：「凡屬原來公布的東西，在目前的這樣一個情況下，包括我們可以預見到的未來，實際上是會逐步升級的。這些東西他們都是要下決心剷除掉，讓你根本就沒有活動空間。」
王瑛指出，凡是不是按照中共的洗腦要求存在的東西，對它來說都是可怕的。
《浙江大學學報》編輯莊道鶴也參與聯署，他認為當局打壓「獨立電影節」是因為其中的影片記錄真實的生活和歷史。他表示，參展的很多影片類似口述歷史，用親身經歷的遭遇來反映這個時代的過去和現在。
浙江大學學報編輯莊道鶴：「因為他們記錄了真實的歷史。發表了真實的畫面。對他們（中共）高大上，偉光正形象有損。」
創始於2006年的「北京獨立影像展」，近年發展成中國一個較具影響力的獨立影像展，但同時也引起了當局的注意。
2012年的影像展在開幕僅3小時後，就被當局拉閘斷電、驅散觀眾。去年的影像展雖然得以舉行，但取消了公眾放映環節。
採訪編輯/秦雪 後制/舒燦
Beijing Police Shut Down Independent Film Festival
Police forcibly cancelled the 11th Beijing Independent Film
Festival on Aug. 23.
Police searched the director’s office
and detained two organizers.
It has drawn the concern of scholars, writers and lawyers
who collectively signed an appeal demanding
an immediate stop to this illegal harassment
at an independent film festival.
Voice of America reported that Shi Baoyu,
the Tongzhou District Politics and Law Committee secretary,
led a team of men to jump over a wall to access the venue.
Computers, films and records compiled over a decade
and account books were confiscated.
The organizer Li Xianting and artistic director
Wang Hongwei were forcibly taken to the police station.
They were only released at 10 p.m. after hours of local
artists’ collective solidarity.
Li Xianting later announced on WeChat that since Aug. 18
when the festival poster and show time were released online,
police began surveillance.
National security and local government have pressured him
to shut down the festival.
The local village leader also visited him at home, delivering
instructions from Beijing to shut down the festival,
but also agreed to relocate the festival to Yanjiao
of Hebei Province.
Last Thursday, the Film Foundation scheduled
the screening venue at Yuanjiao hotel in Hebei,
but was later rejected by the hotel which claimed
the police forbid the event.
Beijing police detained the two organizers the next day.
They were kept for five hours after they signed
the agreement to stop the festival.
The Chinese lawyers’ rights defending website organizer,
Zhao Guojun, launched a signatories on the Aug. 23
to express serious concern about the violation of artistic
freedom and human rights via the authorities
through illegal means such as intimidation, restrictions,
harassment and imprisonment.
Zhao Guojun told NTD, the Independent Film Festival
features films and documentaries from individual filmmakers
holding an independent position.
Government approval is not required for the folk festival,
and the authorities have no right to ban them.
Zhao Guojun: “What is the freedom of association?
What is freedom of expression?
What is the freedom of artistic creativity?
Even if there is freedom, why is there no legal rule
regarding public art review?
Why do they have to interfere with such a rogue style?
That is the problem."
Wang Ying, a participant of the signatory, indicates the CCP
suppression of freedom of speech will continue to upgrade.
Beijing entrepreneur Wang Ying: “We can foresee that it will
only be gradually upgraded, including the previously
announced regulations.
They are determined to eliminate any space for freedom."
Wang Ying believes anything not in compliance with
the idea of brainwashing is a threat to the CCP.
Journal of Zhejiang University Editor Zhuang Daohe
also joined the co-signatory.
He believes the documentary of livelihood
and history is the cause of the suppression.
He indicates that many participating films
are like oral history which reflects the times
in the past and present with personal experience.
Zhuang Daohe: “These true historical documentaries
record the facts which are prejudicial to the CCP’s
image of being great, right and super."
Founded in 2006, the Beijing Independent Film Festival
has developed into an influential event
and become a target of the CCP.
In 2012, within three hours of opening, the electricity
was cut off and the audience was dispersed.
Last year, the festival was held but the public
screening session was canceled.
Interview & Edit/QinXue Post-Production/ShuCan