第四届北京独立影展发刊词　独立影展当然是不能当喉舌的

　　编者按：和以往几届一样，BiFF组委会仍然是再三跟现象网强调说，影展的相关消息，包括排片表信息要到影展开幕当天才可以对外发布。这样的谨慎正面临各方面的质疑和建议。不过，诚如本届影展发刊词中所说的，这“或许是一种有价值的谨慎”。
　　
　　
　　
　　第四届北京独立电影展发刊词全文
　　
　　自2006年BiFF创始以来，至今我们依然在影展方式和方向的探索中。这依然是未来一些年头要面对的问题，保持我们所持有的某种不确定性的态度，或许是一种有价值的谨慎。
　　
　　即使是在国内长期生活的人，包括一线的电影工作者，当他面对国内的电影展播环境时，其了解常常是非常有限的。经常有导演给我提建议要多做一些电影节的宣传，有的抱怨我们的具体日程总是很迟才发布，有的说不够国际化，也有更加乐观的，建议我们邀请各级政府官员，特别是主管这方面人士参加参与。这其实都是特别好的建议，但是这些建议至今我们还没有去实施。我想，慢慢等吧。要么等到这么和谐的一天，要么等到大家都厌烦的一天。
　　
　　这是不是我们的工作不足之处？展示一个环境的现实性，是否跟展示当前电影的现状具有同样的重要性？在这个国度，嘴可以吃饭，但是说什么是喉舌要掌控的。独立影展当然是不能当喉舌的，经常有人谈“话语权”，不过无论什么人掌握了这种权力，好像都变化的特别快。过去拍“地下电影”的，现在忙拍政治宣传片了；以前迎合洋人的，现在赶忙配合国内的商人了。电影节不是一个讨好的事情，似乎特别不合调，特别的多余。多余的工作依然要继续，这就显得奢侈了。幸好新的电影还在涌现，毕竟镜头不是舌头，发言似乎比那张嘴还好一点。每个人都说他的摄影机不撒谎，那么撒谎的肯定是人类了。
　　
　　朱日坤
　　
　　
　　Preface
　　Since the founding of BiFF in 2006 up to now, we are still in the process of exploring the style and direction of our film festival.　These questions must still be confronted in future years as we maintain a certain kind of unfixed position, or perhaps a kind of valuable wariness.
　　Even if we consider an individual who has lived in China for many years – including those working on the frontline of cinema – when he/she faces the domestic film festival environment, his/her understanding often has an extreme limit.　Often directors give me suggestions to create more publicity for the film festival and complain that our exact schedule of screenings is always late in being released.　Some say that the festival is not international enough and that it could be more optimistic.　Still others recommend that we invite officials from different levels of government to attend and participate, especially those public figures who are in charge of cinema-related activities.　In fact, these are all particularly fine suggestions, but so far we have yet to implement them.　I think we must be patient and wait.　We either wait until a day when such harmony is possible, or wait until the day when we are all fed up.
　　Do these suggestions point to problems in our festival?　In my thinking, doesn’t revealing the reality of our current social situation hold the same importance as revealing cinema’s present state of affairs?　In this nation, a mouth is allowed to eat, but speaking is another matter: the official mouthpiece must always have control.　Of course, an independent film festival cannot serve as the official mouthpiece.　Often there are people who discuss “the power to speak,” but no matter who controls this power, it seems as if his/her position changes extraordinarily fast.　Those in the past who shot “underground films” are now busy shooting government propaganda films; those who before catered to foreigners now hurry to cooperate with domestic businesspeople.　This is to say, film festivals are unwelcome affairs, seeming to be out of tune and superfluous to society. As a result, film festivals appear luxurious to many people; however, this “superfluous” work must continue.
　　Luckily, cinema is still emerging.　Even though the lens doesn’t have a tongue, it seems to communicate in ways that exceed the mouth.　Everyone says his/her camera doesn’t lie, so lying is certainly a human affair.
　　
　　Zhu Rikun
　　(Translated by J.P. Sniadecki)