The Silencing Pattern: JIFF 2025 Ignores Sexual Violence Concerns as Social Media Accounts Face Restrictions
Link back to the timeline at genderwatchdog.org
As Jeonju International Film Festival (JIFF) 2025 opens its doors today, a troubling pattern of institutional silence and apparent digital suppression has emerged. Over the past two weeks, we have made multiple good-faith attempts to engage with JIFF organizers regarding documented sexual violence risks at Dongguk University's film program. These attempts have been met with complete silence, followed by suspicious timing of social media account restrictions.
Chronology of Ignored Communications
April 16, 2025: Initial Outreach
We sent a detailed email to JIFF's organizing committee outlining specific structural concerns about Dongguk University's film program, including:
- Complete absence of female professors
- Disbanding of the Women's Council in 2018
- Lack of transparent harassment reporting mechanisms
- Problematic shared facilities with Sidus FNH creating unsupervised industry-student interactions
This communication included links to comprehensive documentation and respectfully requested JIFF to consider these ethical concerns in their programming decisions.
View April 16 Email Screenshot
April 27, 2025: Follow-up Communication
With no response received and the festival approaching, we sent a second, more detailed email outlining:
- Specific documented institutional problems at Dongguk University
- International consequences already unfolding (Canadian university ending partnership, US universities reviewing relationships)
- Potential reputation risks for JIFF
- Constructive suggestions for how JIFF could address these concerns while maintaining its artistic integrity
This communication was again met with complete silence.
View April 27 Email Screenshot
The Digital Silencing Pattern
What happened next raises serious questions about attempts to suppress this advocacy:
April 29, 2025: Instagram Account Suspension
After posting content about sexual violence in Korean film education using hashtags related to JIFF, our Instagram account was suspended without explanation.
April 30, 2025: X (Twitter) Account Restrictions
- Within hours of our DC Inside post about Dongguk University reaching 253+ views
- After using the hashtag #JEONJU_IFF and mentioning @JEONJU_IFF
- Our X account was first locked, requiring verification
- Subsequently labeled for "platform manipulation" - severely limiting its reach
This morning, as JIFF 2025 officially opens, X has applied a "platform manipulation" label to our account, effectively hiding our content from search results, trends, and recommendations - precisely as we attempt to raise awareness about sexual violence in film education during a major film festival.
Beyond Coincidence: A Pattern of Institutional Protection
The timing and sequence of events suggest more than random coincidence:
- Detailed, evidence-based communications to JIFF are completely ignored
- Attempts to raise awareness via social media using festival-related hashtags result in rapid account restrictions
- These restrictions occur precisely as the festival begins and our advocacy gains traction (our DC Inside post reaching 253+ views)
This pattern reflects exactly what sexual violence survivors in academic settings have long reported: institutional silence is the first line of defense, followed by active suppression of those who continue to speak out.
Our Commitment to Continued Advocacy
Despite these obstacles, our documentation and evidence remain publicly accessible:
- Complete timeline website: https://genderwatchdog1.github.io/timeline-website/
- Comprehensive documentation: https://genderwatchdog.bearblog.dev/
We are honored to have recently received the support of End Rape On Campus (@EndRapeOnCampus), a respected international organization, in our efforts to address these structural issues.
A Challenge to JIFF
As one of Korea's most respected film festivals with a stated commitment to progressive values, JIFF has an opportunity to demonstrate leadership rather than join the pattern of institutional silence. We continue to invite dialogue and engagement on these critical issues affecting the safety of film students and the integrity of film education in Korea.
The silencing of advocacy voices does not make the underlying issues disappear - it only reinforces the systemic problems that enable sexual violence to persist in educational and artistic environments.
For updates on this developing situation, follow our website at https://genderwatchdog.bearblog.dev/ where content cannot be restricted or removed by platform policies.