In 2025, despair still hangs heavy in the air. We had hoped that by the time this year's festival started, Israel's genocide of Palestine would be over—but Gaza is still burning. Israel continues bombing, ignoring the ceasefire agreement, and U.S. President Trump has joined in supporting the colonization of Gaza. Major Korean companies are still selling weapons and heavy equipment to Israel. In reality, South Korea is also part of this massacre. That is why we raise our voices again for Palestinian liberation through film.

This year, ‘Diaspora in Focus’ brings together various films from the 2000s about Israel's occupation of Palestine. Mahdi Fleifel, who has spent over 20 years documenting the lives of Palestinian refugees, returns to Incheon with his first feature film, To a Land Unknown. This film, which breaks conventions and powerfully expresses tragedy, is undoubtedly one of this year's discoveries. From Ground Zero, a powerful film by 22 Palestinian directors, gives a strong, sensory experience of the horrors of the massacre.

We have also selected two important documentaries. Ghost Hunting and Bye Bye Tiberias, both being shown in Korea for the first time, use very different ways of telling their stories but both have incredible energy. It's also worth comparing the Palestinian and Israeli co-directed projects Route 181: Fragments of a Journey in Palestine-Israel (2003) and No Other Land (2024).

Among them, No Other Land, which won the 2025 Academy Awards for Best Documentary, is at the center of controversy. In March, the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) criticized the film's collaboration with the Israeli documentary group ‘Close-Up’ and the comments made by the Israeli co-director at the Academy Awards. PACBI pointed out that the film might unintentionally defend Israel's actions. Diaspora Film Festival, which has always supported Palestinian liberation, has been closely following the ongoing discussion. Then, we heard the news that Palestinian director Hamdan Ballal was abducted by Israeli forces. This film has now become a symbol of resistance. We believe it is important to watch and discuss this film as an act of defiance against Israel’s terror. Most importantly, Korean audiences have not yet fully seen No Other Land. Now, we will begin an important debate about its possibilities and its limits.

The legacy of the late Korean-Japanese scholar and Diaspora Film Festival advisor, Suh Kyung-sik, continues. Don't miss Echoing Voices: From the Words of Edward W. Said and Living in Gaza: Raji Sourani, Rooted in Gaza, both made with his close collaborator, Kamakura Hideya. Above all, let's not forget that there are filmmakers in Korea who are listening to the reality of Palestine. We send our support and solidarity to the creators of Unheard: Defend Masafer Yatta and Two Cameras for Palestine, who have made Palestinian voices visible in South Korea's pro-Israel society. (Hyuksang Kimsan)