The Beijing Independent Film Festival was interrupted again this year by Chinese government officials. The festival was indefinitely suspended and three of the main organizers were detained until they promised to not hold the festival. All of this leaves indie film fans wondering about the future of Chinese independent film imports into the U.S.

In what was possibly the most vicious form of interference to date, the Chinese government shut down the Beijing Independent Film Festival this weekend in Songzhuang, China. Deadline reports, "The Beijing Independent Film Festival was shut down by Chinese authorities Saturday and police did a search and seizure on the organizers offices and detained the artistic director Wang Hongwei and film critic and founder Li Xianting."

Apparently, this kind of behavior by the Chinese government in regards to the festival is nothing new. The Guardian states that Wang Hongwei was visited by authorities more than a dozen times in the weeks prior to the festival: "In any case, it's not just the security forces and the police coming here - it's the government."

In addition to this, the LA Times explains that "The festival shows films that have not been approved by government censors and has since its founding 11 years ago faced government pressure and last-minute cancellations from venues wanting to avoid controversy." In fact, in 2012, the power was shut off, preventing the opening film from screening.

The LA Times also reported that, "Li Xianting, the film fund head, said on his WeChat social media account that Wang and Fan were detained by police Friday for about five hours." Shortly afterward he announced that they would not be able to reschedule the festival as it is now completely forbidden.

The final disappointing part of this cancellation is that it limits the ability for Chinese independent cinema to be viewed and experienced in other countries. Shelly Kraicer, a festival programmer, explained the festival's importance to Indiewire by stating that, "it's a crucial outlet for people from around the world to access Chinese independent films."

While the Beijing Independent Film Festival may be canceled this year, perhaps there is comfort in Wang Hongwei's dedication to the festival. He stated last week that he continues to work on the festival despite obstacles because he believes it to be "significant."