Foreword
IDFA flags spotted on the streets of Amsterdam. Photo by Roger Cremers.
Measure in moderation
In these first months of the year, we’re measuring things like there’s no tomorrow; summarizing IDFA 2021 in lists and statistics. 171,981 visits. 2,826 guests. 35,527 students. And 1,074,383 website visitors. These are some real figures from the past year. The data is intended to provide guidance, especially in a time when life is uncertain. A time marked by fear. After all, to visit a film festival is to take a risk. To travel by airplane. Or by train. And you don't know what you're going to find on the other end. You know that you have to spend at least one hour in a room breathing the same air as the people around you. Such risks do not fit into our on-demand world, a world in which everything—from our groceries to our Netflix account—is perfectly adapted to highly personalized wishes. In an unpredictable world, we go for what is safe.
The purpose of measuring is reaching a point of rest. An overview, a reckoning with the past. The danger with this notion is that we can lose sight of why we do things. There is also the danger of pretending something doesn’t exist if it can’t be measured. How do you measure the elusive? How do you measure the connection between people in a cinema? How do you measure magic? How do you measure the creations of brilliant filmmakers, that our brains can't quite grasp? When compared to the sublime, measuring and evaluating are earthly efforts.
By focusing too heavily on the measurable performance of ourselves and others, we find ourselves more and more in competition with everything and everyone. Competing with festivals worldwide. With other cultural events in the Netherlands. It can lead to misplaced arrogance or unmerited self-doubt. So measure in moderation. And measure smart. You cannot understand the world without numbers, but you cannot understand the world with numbers alone. You need the arts for that. Not as an escape from, but a uniting force for the world. With this in mind, we look back at IDFA 2021. We thank our audience, our partners, and filmmakers everywhere. Much of what they contribute can never be measured.
— Cees van ‘t Hullenaar, Executive Director
Film still: Octopus, dir. Karim Kassem.
