In previous years of photogénie, a new editorial board has inaugurated a new run of issues with a mission statement. In the spirit of this open endeavour, this board has decided to try something different. In lieu of a distinct, collectively written mission statement, we offer up this first issue which contains essays, written by the members of this board, that can be variously taken as a gesture or a wider expression of their conception of cinema and/or the role and act of criticism. We hope that both readers and future writers of photogénie will gain sustenance and inspiration from these pieces and from the following issues, which we will have the great privilege to commission and edit.