Rows of ceramic figurines stand in line like little guardians on frilly lace circles, both inviting you to take a look at them and the world beyond, and at the same time defending their home turf from peering eyes. Usually I find this sight of my neighbours windowsill comical (especially if she’s sneaking a peek herself from behind them), but after seeing films like Below Sea Level, Slingshot Hip Hop and the other films featured in this issue, it seems totally bizarre: how can people place so much emphasis on something so banal, and others be happy with a mere slab of scrap metal?

There are many windows into the souls of storytellers and their subjects. Some are dramatically exaggerated, others delicate and subtle like a view through a mesh curtain. But they’re windows nonetheless. How then does one describe the many facets that a glimpse into such inner complexities can reveal? Is it really possible to put this on paper?

A troupe of young journalists from all over Europe have descended upon the IDFA festival ready to tear open it’s windows, peer through them, describe it’s views and find an answer to this question in this very publication.

What better place to do this than in the land of open curtains, where everybody allows passers-by small glimpses into their inner sanctum?

Itxaso Elosua Ramirez