DOCUMENTARY DIASPORA I Heritage in motion (42 minutes) I 2020

On August 15 The Netherlands commemorated the end of WWII in the former colony Dutch East Indies. This year exactly 75 years ago. For Indonesia August 17 is an important historical date and marks the birth of Republic Indonesia. At the same time the story is bigger. The aftermath of colonialism, war and decolonization still has impact on people today.

What does colonial heritage mean to a younger generation with roots in different parts of Indonesia, living in the Netherlands? How do they relate to (historical) objects connected to this era?

Amanda Pinatih, Design curator Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam and PhD candidate, Raki Ap, educator and activist & Yopi Abraham, artist and co-founder of Awareness Moluccan Identity share their perspectives. Narrator: curator and researcher Sadiah Boonstra, PhD. Contemporary dance by Cheroney Pelupessy.

This production was made possible by the 4th and 5th of May Committee Amsterdam Southeast with the support of Amsterdam City.

In collaboration with Museum Nasional Jakarta, Tropenmuseum, Research Center for Material Culture, The National Archive, Moluccan Historical Museum and Amsterdam City.

MOVING PORTRAITS I The Identity of people with roots in the former colony Dutch East Indies is often defined within a Dutch colonial frame while history and personal sense of identity are often much more layered and part of a bigger story. How do they connect to their stories and identities?

These 3 moving portraits were part of a series for the artistic program and preluded their performances on connection and identity during the August 15 National Remembrance Day in 2019.

Featuring choreographer and dancer Cheroney Pelupessy, singer Sjors van de Panne and Jazz musician and composer Robinson Jouwe.

Concept and directing: Suzanne Rastovac for the 15 August 1945 Commemoration Foundation
Film and edit: Jeremy Flohr
Animations: Square
Year: 2019

SHORT FILMS I 3 out of a series of 5 short films with young artists who share what commemorating means to them now. Why and what do they commemorate?

"I can connect to my family history but also take a step back and overlook the whole colonial past from a distance. So not only I commemorate the victims of the Second World War, but of the whole colonial era.” - actor Joenoes Polnaija

This was part of the national campaign for the National Remembrance Day August 15 and featured artists who where part of the artistic program. Amongst them poet and writer Ellen Deckwitz, musician Wesley Nuis, and actor Joenoes Polnaija.

Concept and directing: Suzanne Rastovac for the 15 August 1945 Commemoration Foundation
Film and edit: Jeremy Flohr
Year: 2018

SHORT FILM I Banda is well-known for the violent history that took place during European colonialism. As it is important to tell this violent part of history, it is just as important to get to know Banda in its context now: as being part of a group of ten small volcanic islands in the Banda Sea, inhabited by a vivid and diverse community with its own identity. The short film CHILDREN OF BANDA shows the everyday life and focuses on the children, who symbolize the future of the Banda islands.

Film and edit: Jeremy Flohr
Co-produced: Suzanne Rastovac
Year: 2019

INTERVIEW PORTRAITS I 1 out of 6 interview portraits 'Verhalen Over Leven' (Stories Survive) for the campaign of August 15 National Remembrance Day.

What stories run in your family history and how does this shape you in the present? In Stories Survive these questions are being answered by young and old in an open intergenerational conversation.

Interview and concept: Suzanne Rastovac for the 15 August 1945 Commemoration Foundation
Film and edit: Armando Ello
Year: 2017
The production was made possible by funding of the National Foundation for Peace (vfonds).

AFTERMOVIE I a recap of public program series Gepeperd Verleden ('spiced past’) of the Indies Heritage Center (developed & curated by Suzanne Rastovac at the Indies Heritage Center). In collaboration with the following parters: Tropenmuseum Amsterdam, Mapping Slavery, Het Scheepvaartmuseum, Museum Volkenkunde and the Moluccan Historical Museum.

Film: Armando Ello
Edit: Suzanne Rastovac
Year: 2019

This video was produced with funding from the National Foundation for Peace (vfonds).