From colonial film commissioner to political pariah : Joris Ivens and the making of Indonesia Calling

Drew Cottle; Angela Keys

From colonial film commissioner to political pariah : Joris Ivens and the making of Indonesia Calling

Drew Cottle, Angela Keys

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article

Abstract

Appointed Film Commissioner of The Netherlands East Indies on 28 September 1944, in September and October of the following year Joris Ivens directed Indonesia Calling (1946), a film which was anathema to Dutch colonial interests. Employed to produce propaganda endorsing HollandÃƒÂ¢Ã¢"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s liberation of Indonesia from Japanese occupation and its post-war plans for limited Indonesian autonomy under the Dutch crown, Ivens instead created Indonesia Calling. Only 22 minutes long, the black-and-white 35mm film recreated the campaign to prevent Dutch-chartered vessels loaded with troops and military supplies from leaving Australian ports for Indonesia. The short film caused a political furore, with the Dutch pressuring AustraliaÃƒÂ¢Ã¢"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s Chifley Government to prosecute those involved in the making of the film. Ivens had risked arrest or deportation by directing the film. What spurred a colonial film commissioner to produce such a controversial political film?

Original language	English
Journal	Senses of Cinema
Publication status	Published - 2006

Keywords

Indonesia Calling
Ivens, Joris, 1898-1989
film directors

Cite this

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abstract = "Appointed Film Commissioner of The Netherlands East Indies on 28 September 1944, in September and October of the following year Joris Ivens directed Indonesia Calling (1946), a film which was anathema to Dutch colonial interests. Employed to produce propaganda endorsing Holland{\~A}ƒ{\^A}¢{\~A}¢{"}{\v s}{\^A}¬{\~A}¢{"}{\v z}{\^A}¢s liberation of Indonesia from Japanese occupation and its post-war plans for limited Indonesian autonomy under the Dutch crown, Ivens instead created Indonesia Calling. Only 22 minutes long, the black-and-white 35mm film recreated the campaign to prevent Dutch-chartered vessels loaded with troops and military supplies from leaving Australian ports for Indonesia. The short film caused a political furore, with the Dutch pressuring Australia{\~A}ƒ{\^A}¢{\~A}¢{"}{\v s}{\^A}¬{\~A}¢{"}{\v z}{\^A}¢s Chifley Government to prosecute those involved in the making of the film. Ivens had risked arrest or deportation by directing the film. What spurred a colonial film commissioner to produce such a controversial political film?",

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N2 - Appointed Film Commissioner of The Netherlands East Indies on 28 September 1944, in September and October of the following year Joris Ivens directed Indonesia Calling (1946), a film which was anathema to Dutch colonial interests. Employed to produce propaganda endorsing HollandÃƒÂ¢Ã¢"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s liberation of Indonesia from Japanese occupation and its post-war plans for limited Indonesian autonomy under the Dutch crown, Ivens instead created Indonesia Calling. Only 22 minutes long, the black-and-white 35mm film recreated the campaign to prevent Dutch-chartered vessels loaded with troops and military supplies from leaving Australian ports for Indonesia. The short film caused a political furore, with the Dutch pressuring AustraliaÃƒÂ¢Ã¢"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s Chifley Government to prosecute those involved in the making of the film. Ivens had risked arrest or deportation by directing the film. What spurred a colonial film commissioner to produce such a controversial political film?

AB - Appointed Film Commissioner of The Netherlands East Indies on 28 September 1944, in September and October of the following year Joris Ivens directed Indonesia Calling (1946), a film which was anathema to Dutch colonial interests. Employed to produce propaganda endorsing HollandÃƒÂ¢Ã¢"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s liberation of Indonesia from Japanese occupation and its post-war plans for limited Indonesian autonomy under the Dutch crown, Ivens instead created Indonesia Calling. Only 22 minutes long, the black-and-white 35mm film recreated the campaign to prevent Dutch-chartered vessels loaded with troops and military supplies from leaving Australian ports for Indonesia. The short film caused a political furore, with the Dutch pressuring AustraliaÃƒÂ¢Ã¢"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s Chifley Government to prosecute those involved in the making of the film. Ivens had risked arrest or deportation by directing the film. What spurred a colonial film commissioner to produce such a controversial political film?

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KW - Ivens, Joris, 1898-1989

KW - film directors

UR - http://handle.uws.edu.au:8081/1959.7/34405

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From colonial film commissioner to political pariah : Joris Ivens and the making of Indonesia Calling

Abstract

Keywords

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