Greetings. I am Han Sang-jun, Chairperson of the Korean Film Council (KOFIC).

It is a pleasure to welcome documentary filmmakers from Korea and around the world, as well as all the audiences joining us for the 18th DMZ International Documentary Film Festival.

I offer my heartfelt congratulations on the opening of the 18th DMZ International Documentary Film Festival.

Documentary is more than a genre that simply records facts. It is a cinematic art form that connects people, listens closely to voices we might otherwise overlook, and raises new questions about the future. Even amid today’s rapidly changing media environment, the authenticity and public value of documentary cinema have become more meaningful than ever.

Over the past eighteen years, the DMZ International Documentary Film Festival has grown into a vital forum for communication and understanding, documenting our times through documentary cinema, reflecting on the many realities confronting our society and the world, and bringing people into dialogue with one another.

The slogan of the 18th festival, “Peace Is Not Silent,” succinctly expresses the role documentary cinema can play in addressing society and the world today. I hope the approximately 140 documentaries presented this year will encourage us to reflect once again on the values of peace and coexistence, while offering us the courage and hope to better understand one another.

The Korean Film Council will continue to devote its efforts to fostering the sustainable development of the documentary filmmaking ecosystem, supporting the production and distribution of outstanding works, and creating an environment in which filmmakers can pursue new challenges with greater freedom. We will also continue to stand with the DMZ International Documentary Film Festival as it takes another step toward becoming one of the world’s leading documentary film festivals.

I hope all those attending the festival will find their time here both meaningful and deeply moving.

Thank you.