Rise And Shine World Sales acquires IDFA world premiere “Selling A Colonial War,” adding to its hefty list

EXCLUSIVE: Rise and Shine World Sales has acquired In-Soo Radstakes Selling a colonial waran investigative documentary that just started during the International Competition at IDFA.

The latest addition of “Rise and Shine” from Berlin joins the IDFA list of international premieres In Wolfland And Son of the Mullahboth play in the festival’s Frontlight section, which “shows films that critically engage with truth and artistically address the pressing questions of our time.”

In Selling a colonial warRadstake, a Korean-Dutch filmmaker, examines the Netherlands’ deeply problematic colonial history in Indonesia. The premiere took place on Saturday at the festival’s 1,400-seat cinema, the Royal Theater Carré. Several subsequent shows were all sold out.

The documentary “uncovers the history of the Dutch government during the Indonesian War of Independence,” says a description of the film. “Through the use of propaganda and cooperation with the media and historians, they portrayed their interventions as peacekeeping. This concealed the motive of preserving their valuable colony for post-war reconstruction and its 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 and exposes a disinformation campaign bent on destroying the nation. Protect them from the shadows of their past.” He uncovers the hidden history, exposes the layers of deception and global politics, and illuminates the ongoing story of these events that have obscured Dutch actions in Indonesia for decades.”

In a director’s note, Radstake said: “The colonial past is a sensitive subject in the Netherlands, leading to intense debates about historical injustice, identity, responsibility, recognition and restoration.” And of course, how this legacy of colonialism the countries and peoples that were previously colonized. The film examines how Dutch society struggles with its colonial history and ongoing debates.

“More broadly, the film fits into the global debate on decolonization, image building, framing and fake news. It highlights the role and impact of propaganda and the struggle for narrative control. We can see parallels between historical events and current wars in Ukraine and Palestine. The film’s narrative aims to make this complex story accessible to a wider audience. These themes reflect the experiences of former colonizers and colonized countries worldwide.”

Stefan Kloos, director of Rise and Shine World Sales, said: “We were completely blown away when we saw it Selling a colonial war. Of course it will be explosive in the Netherlands, but given the enormous need in so many countries to shed light on colonial history, this fascinating film should resonate worldwide.”

IDFA artistic director Orwa Nyrabia told the filmmakers: “I don’t think I batted an eyelid while watching it Selling a colonial war. This is a film that will spark many important discussions and the challenge you have set yourself here is clearly enormous, yet you have managed to maintain a very high level of control over this film architecture. You can certainly be proud of that.”

Rise and Shine World Sales describes itself as “an international distribution agency for outstanding, award-winning documentaries.” We operate on a boutique level and currently shoot up to 15 carefully selected films a year.”

Rise and Shine title In Wolfland The film is directed by German filmmaker Ralf Bücheler. “We all know the big bad wolf, who is known for his fairy tales. “Over hundreds of years, the wolf has become a culturally embedded symbol of fear, completely divorced from reality,” reads a description of the film. “In fact, there weren’t even wolves in Western Europe for a long time. But they are back – for example in Germany, where the social animals now populate some scattered areas in the country that man has left to them. In Europe, the return of the wolf and how to deal with it is currently one of the most controversial topics in the coexistence of nature and people.”

The R&S takeover Son of the Mullah comes 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 works from abroad due to the lack of press freedom in Iran. He exposes the corruption and hypocrisy of the Iranian regime. He does this at the risk of his own life and lives under constant surveillance.”