Witnesses 2025 is an omnibus of two short documentaries. They Never Returned traces the truth of the Yeosu–Suncheon Rebellion, which began on October 19, 1948, when soldiers of the 14th Regiment refused orders for the Jeju April 3rd suppression, declaring they “could not kill their own people.” Faces Upon Faces follows the life and legacy of a friend who dedicated himself to uncovering the truth behind state-sanctioned suspicious deaths.

Committed to independent journalism, Newstapa has long collaborated with documentary filmmakers to produce its annual Witnesses series. This year’s edition, premiering at DMZ Docs, presents two new short films ahead of their 2025 release: Heo Wook’s They Never Returned and Ko Duhyun’s Faces Upon Faces.Ko’s journey also seeks a hidden truth. Faces Upon Faces follows the traces of those who died under suspicious circumstances during some of the darkest chapters of modern Korean history—victims whose deaths remain unresolved. Along the way, the film meets those who strive to keep their faces and stories from fading from memory. The result is imbued with the determination of documentarians who confront truths shunned by the mainstream, and with the sensibility of alternative historians who work to preserve them.​

Witnesses 2025 is a collaborative documentary platform created by independent filmmakers and the Korea Center for Investigative Journalism (KCIJ/Newstapa). Uncompromising in the face of power and capital, this collective has produced over 200 films to date, asking the questions mainstream media too often ignores. Spanning politics, human rights, labor, ecology, and more, their work serves as a vital record of our time. This special presentation showcases a new collection of short works, set for release in the second half of 2025.

• Producer장광연, 양희, 허욱 (그들은 돌아오지 않았다) JANG Kwangyun, YANG Hee, Wook Steven HEO (They Never Returned), 양주연 (얼굴, 얼굴들) YANG Juyeon (Faces Upon Faces)
• Cinematography 허욱 (그들은 돌아오지 않았다) Wook Steven HEO (They Never Returned), 박수환, 조용기, 권순현 (얼굴, 얼굴들) PARK Swan, JOE Yonggi, KWON Sunhyeon (Faces Upon Faces)
• Edit 허욱 (그들은 돌아오지 않았다) Wook Steven HEO (They Never Returned), 안지환 (얼굴, 얼굴들), AHN Jeehwan (Faces Upon Faces)

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