The 2013 crop comprises an unplanned, if not accidental, collective declaration of the essence of the cinema, an art of images and sounds that, at their best, don't exist to tell a story or to tantalize the audience (though they may well do so) but, rather, to reflect a crisis in the life of the filmmaker and the state of the artist's mind or, even, soul.
The declaration – in essence a document outlining the problems associated with sepsis, a statement of intent and a call to action – recognizes the importance of increasing awareness of sepsis among health care professionals, governments, the public and funding bodies.
As visitors enter the blocklong wing-shaped hall, some six stories high, they see above them and on the opposite wall the passage that Mr. Fisher feels is the Declaration's essence: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness".
But among the other men who set their names on the Declaration --in essence, signing a death warrant for committing treason against the most powerful man on earth, King George III-- are a collection of some extraordinary characters, who for the most part are forgotten.
The essence of community development is well captured in the Budapest declaration, which focuses on strengthening civil society, empowerment and an agenda of social change.
Indeed, the essence of many of his pronouncements can be found in declarations from a wide range of Eurosceptic parties.
On the referendum, Unasur issued a declaration at its meeting in Peru last November that the referendum "in no way alters the essence of the Falklands question, and its result will not put an end to the dispute over sovereignty".
She found the essence of carefree defiance in "Getting Some Fun Out of Life," a young couple's declaration of independence from the workday rules of the world.
Peel set out the essence of a party manifesto that we can easily recognise nearly 200 years later: a full and public declaration of policy that a party aspiring to government offers for the verdict of the electorate.
