Documentary ‘Selling a Colonial War’ supported by Matching Fund

This November, the film Selling a Colonial War premiered at the 36th edition of the International Documentary Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) and received the Beeld & Geluid IDFA ReFrame Award. In this documentary, directed by In-Soo Radstake, 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 our dealings with the past.

DutchCulture supported this documentary via the Matching Fund of the International Heritage Cooperation policy. The Matching Fund helps finance projects that contribute to the visibility of the history and heritage connecting the Netherlands with different countries, such as Indonesia.

“The power of representation is demonstrated clearly in the way the Dutch government chose to present the Indonesian War of Independence and its violent aftermath (1945-1950). Three-quarters of a century on, 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.” (IDFA )

The film will be shown in Dutch cinemas as of 11 January 2024.