The opening ceremony of the 9th Beijing Independent Film Festival was interrupted Saturday when the power was cut mid-way through a movie screening, said organizers on Sunday. 

Festival administrators admitted they had received a lot of pressure from authorities and the situation was tense, but they still insisted on continuing the festival in a low-key manner. They could not identify exactly who was giving them pressure, or who had cut the power.

"The festival started at 1:30 pm Saturday, but a power failure plunged the venue into darkness about three hours later when we were watching a film called Egg and Stone. Then we were told the power was cut off," an attendee surnamed Wu told the Global Times Sunday.

But documentaries, features and experimental films continued to be screened Sunday at the festival, scheduled from August 18 to 26 in the art enclave of Songzhuang, Tongzhou district.  

The festival is organized under the auspices of Li Xianting's Film Fund. Li is an art critic and curator of contemporary Chinese art.

Zhang Qi, director of operations from the film fund, claimed plain clothes police officers and officials from culture authorities were standing outside the venue to prevent more people from attending the opening. She did not know where the culture officials were from.

She also claimed they were told by authorities that they would need approval if over 200 people attended the festival.

The Tongzhou branch of the capital's public security bureau denied Sunday that they had sent police there.

"We don't know about this and have never taken any action toward this festival," said an officer from the branch.

Attendees confirmed that some people had trouble attending the opening.   

"As I arrived, people were at the gate asking 'what are you doing here, and where are you from?'" said Wu. 

This comes after organizers cancelled last year's festival entirely, citing a "tense overall situation" and coming under pressure, festival art director Zhu Rikun  told the Global Times in April 2011. 

 On Sunday, there were over 100 people at the festival at a private house owned by Li in Songzhuang. Movies were being screened in two rooms.

"Independent film should have space to develop, since it has great significance for not just China, but the world," said Angela Zito, a professor at New York University and documentary director.  

"Chinese people's creativity in independent film should be encouraged, although it meets some difficulties now," Zito said Sunday.

Many of the films screened are not mainstream and focus on social problems, said Zhang.

"Although the government requested us not to run such a festival because we haven't got approval from the authorities, the real reason is that some topics of the films are sensitive and still a taboo in China now," Zhang said.

"We only want to provide a space for academic exchange here. If we sent those films to be inspected in order to be approved, what's the meaning of holding such a festival?" Zhang said.

"Independent film, and this incident, both enable us to think about who we are, where we are and what we live for," said Zhang Xianmin, a professor from Beijing Film Academy Sunday.

There should be more space for independent film in China, he said.

"The barriers they [government] set are only harassment for independent film, but it won't affect its development in China, I believe," Zhang noted.