Rise And Shine World Sales Acquires IDFA World Premiere ‘Selling A Colonial War,’ Adding To Robust Slate
EXCLUSIVE: Rise and Shine World Sales has acquired In-Soo Radstake’s Selling a Colonial War, an investigative documentary that just premiered in International Competition at IDFA.
The latest acquisition by Berlin-based Rise and Shine adds to an IDFA slate that includes the international premieres of In Wolf Country and Son of the Mullah, both playing in the festival’s Frontlight section, which “showcases films that critically examine the truth and artistically explore the urgent issues of our time.”
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In Selling a Colonial War, Radstake, a Korean-Dutch filmmaker, examines the Netherlands’ deeply problematic colonial history in Indonesia. It premiered on Saturday at the festival’s 1,400 seat cinema Royal Theatre Carré. Multiple follow up screenings have all sold out.
The documentary “exposes the Dutch government’s narrative during the Indonesian War of Independence,” according to a description of the film. “Using propaganda and collaborating with media and historians, they framed their interventions as peacekeeping. Hidden beneath was a motive to retain their valuable colony for post-war recovery and global status…”
The synopsis continues, “In a world awakening to the signs of colonialism, filmmaker In-Soo Radstake exposes the Netherlands’ reluctance to confront its dark legacy, unearthing a disinformation campaign to shield the nation from the shadows of its past. He uncovers the hidden history, reveals the layers of deception and global politics, and illuminates the ongoing narrative of these events that obscured the Netherlands’ actions in Indonesia for decades.”
In a director’s note, Radstake said, “The colonial past is a sensitive topic in The Netherlands, sparking intense debates about historical injustices, identity, responsibility, acknowledgment and reparations. And of course how this legacy of colonialism affects countries and peoples formerly colonized. The film delves into how Dutch society struggles with its colonial history and the ongoing debates.
“On a broader scale, the film fits into the global debate on decolonization, image shaping, framing and fake news. It highlights the role and impact of propaganda and the battle for narrative control. We can see parallels between historical events and current wars in Ukraine and Palestine. The storytelling of the film aims to make this complex history accessible to a wider audience. These themes resonate with experiences of both former colonizers and colonized countries worldwide.”
Stefan Kloos, Rise and Shine World Sales’ managing director, said, “We were totally spellbound when we saw Selling a Colonial War. Of course, this will be dynamite in The Netherlands, but on the backdrop of the huge necessity in so many countries to work up colonial history, this fascinating film should resonate well all over the globe.”
IDFA artistic director Orwa Nyrabia said to the filmmakers, “I do not believe that I have blinked while watching Selling a Colonial War. This is a film that will raise very important discussions, and the challenge that you have taken here is clearly huge, yet you have managed to keep a very high level of command over this film architecture. You certainly should be proud.”
Rise and Shine World Sales describes itself as “an international sales agency for outstanding award-winning documentary films. We operate on a boutique size level, currently taking a maximum of 15 handpicked films per year.”
Rise and Shine’s title In Wolf Country is directed by German filmmaker Ralf Bücheler. “We all know the big bad wolf of fairy-tale fame – over hundreds of years the wolf has become a culturally imprinted symbol of fear that’s completely detached from reality,” notes a description of the film. “In fact there weren’t even any wolves in western Europe for a long time. But they’re back – for example in Germany, where these social animals now occupy a few scattered areas around the country that people have left to them. In Europe, the comeback of the wolf and how to handle it is currently one of the most disputed topics of the cohabitation of nature and mankind.”
The R&S acquisition Son of the Mullah hails from Swedish-Iranian director Nahid Persson, “known for uncompromisingly critical films about her native country. In her latest documentary, she focuses on the Iranian journalist Ruhollah Zam. Like many of his colleagues, Zam operates from abroad, due to the lack of press freedom in Iran. He exposes the corruption and hypocrisy of the Iranian regime. He does so at the risk of his own life and lives under permanent guard.”
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