The East (2020 film)

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The East
The East (2020 film).jpg
Poster
DutchDe Oost
Directed byJim Taihuttu
Written byMustafa Duygulu
Jim Taihuttu
Produced bySander Verdonk
Julius Ponten
StarringMartijn Lakemeier
Marwan Kenzari
CinematographyLennart Verstegen
Edited byMieneke Kramer
Music byGino Taihuttu
Production
companies
New Amsterdam Film Company
Salto Films
Wrong Men North
France 2 Cinema
Distributed byAmazon Prime Video Splendid Film
Release date
  • 25 September 2020 (2020-09-25) (Netherlands)
Running time
137 minutes
CountriesNetherlands
Belgium
Indonesia
France
United States
LanguageDutch
Budget€6.6 million[1]
Box office$160,007[2]

The East (Dutch: De Oost) is a 2020 Dutch war film directed by Jim Taihuttu.

Plot[]

The film is set in 1946 in the Dutch East Indies at the time of the Indonesian National Revolution. A young deployed soldier named Johan becomes enthralled with Army Captain Raymond Westerling, who leads counterinsurgency operations against the Indonesian guerrillas and purge operations on South Sulawesi. Gradually, Johan finds himself questioning the war more and more.

Cast[]

Production[]

Director Jim Taihuttu had been developing a film project about a "black page of Dutch history" since 2012.[1] Producer Sander Verdonk joined the film in 2015 and from then on started looking for financiers.

In writing the screenplay, the Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies were consulted for historical facts,[3] and a conscious effort was made to find a co-production partner in Indonesia. Verdonk told us about the reasons behind this: "For us such a cooperation was very important. We didn't want to settle down there like some kind of neo-colonist and make a little film. A large part of the crew was Indonesian."[1]

The filming period started in February 2019 in Indonesia, ultimately filming for 48 days in Indonesia, with six additional filming days in the Netherlands.[4]

Release[]

First footage of the film was released in May 2020,[5] premiering at the Netherlands Film Festival on 25 September 2020.[6] The film was originally scheduled for theatrical release on 10 September 2020, but due to delays incurred by COVID-19, the release was postponed until 13 May 2021, alongside a release on Amazon Prime Video.[7]

The film was criticised by some for its historical flaws. Some thinly veiled references to the nazis were added by having the elite Dutch troops wear dark uniforms. In the movie, Westerling also has a sinister moustache, making the character seem more menacing. (The real troops used the Dutch standard tan tropical uniforms, and Westerling did not, in fact, have a moustache.) [8]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c Melchers, Fabian (22 May 2020). "Wie zijn al die mensen op de aftiteling van een film (en wat doen ze)?" (in Dutch). Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  2. ^ https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt8639136/?ref_=bo_se_r_1
  3. ^ Brassem, Eric (1 October 2020). "Veteranen woedend over nazi-link in film 'De Oost'" (in Dutch). Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  4. ^ "Marwan Kenzari speelt rol in Nederlandse film De Oost" (in Dutch). 4 February 2019. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  5. ^ "Eerste beelden van Nederlandse film over Indonesische onafhankelijkheidsoorlog" (in Dutch). 5 May 2020. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  6. ^ "De Oost" (in Dutch). 25 September 2020. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  7. ^ "Nederlandse film De Oost komt op 13 mei 2021 naar Amazon Prime Video Nederland" (in Dutch). 24 March 2021. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  8. ^ https://www.parool.nl/kunst-media/regisseur-jim-taihuttu-over-de-oost-natuurlijk-ga-je-niet-iets-bij-elkaar-fantaseren~b626856f/

External links[]

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