Selling a Colonial War - English subtitled
IDFA award-winning documentary about how the Dutch government represented the Indonesian War of Independence and subsequent violence. The film shows our handling of the past and the power of representation.
Three quarters of a century after the end of the Indonesian War of Independence (1945-1950), competing perceptions of the events still remain. Filmmaker In-Soo Radstake casts a broad view as he investigates a multitude of perspectives, including those of the Dutch government, servicemen in the Dutch and the Royal Netherlands East Indies armies, Indonesian independence fighters, the international community and several population groups in the former Dutch East Indies. The Bersiap killings, a neglected episode in which specific groups of citizens were collectively regarded as enemies of the revolution, is among the subjects touched upon.
Extensive interviews with international experts provide insight into the complex relationships in the former colony and the global context. Archive footage – some of which has only been discovered decades after the events – not only tells a story of decolonization but also chronicles how we dealt with the past. (source: www.idfa.nl)