Who gets to decide how a nation remembers its past?
When Indonesia declared independence in 1945, the Netherlands responded with a military campaign that the Dutch government described not as a war, but as “police actions” intended to restore order. For decades, that language helped shape public understanding of the conflict and obscured questions of colonial violence, accountability, and responsibility.
Using extraordinary archival footage—much of it produced or controlled by Dutch authorities—filmmaker In-Soo Radstake investigates how the government presented the war to its own population and constructed an official narrative around the conflict. Often shocking images reveal a striking gap between that narrative and the realities on the ground.
Through interviews with international historians and experts, Selling a Colonial War places the Indonesian struggle for independence within the broader history of European colonialism, decolonization, postwar geopolitics, propaganda, and historical memory.
The film also raises questions that extend far beyond the Netherlands and Indonesia: How do governments shape public understanding of war? Who determines what enters a nation’s official history? What happens when archival evidence challenges the story a country has told about itself?
At a time when the teaching and presentation of national history are being fiercely debated in the United States and elsewhere, Selling a Colonial War provides a compelling case study for examining the relationship between political power, media, historical memory, and the writing of history.
Recommended for courses in: History • Colonialism & Decolonization • Southeast Asian Studies • Media & Propaganda • Political Science • Postcolonial Studies • International Relations • Archival Studies • Memory Studies
Netherlands / Indonesia, 2024, 105 min. Documentary | English, Indonesian and Dutch with English subtitles Directed by In-Soo Radstake
World Premiere: International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) – International Competition Winner: Beeld & Geluid IDFA ReFrame Award for Creative Use of Archive
"Selling a Colonial War looks to encourage the Dutch government and society to accept responsibility for their actions as a colonial power in Indonesia – and especially their actions when fighting a war in Indonesia after the country declared independence in 1945. The Dutch government still refrains from using the term “war crimes” to describe their actions as this would have great impact on calls for reparation."~ Leo Barraclough, Variety
