De Oost (The East)

The Indonesian war of independence between 1945 and 1949 is still a fraught subject in Dutch national history. Hundreds of thousands of Dutch soldiers were sent to ‘de Oost’ (the East), some of whom acted violently to suppress the independence of the Indonesians. After the apologies of King Willem-Alexander for the sometimes excessive violence in March last year, the Dutch war film De Oost (The East) came at just the right time.

The movie ,directed by Jim Taihuttu, is set in the Dutch East Indies of 1946 during the Indonesian War of Independence. 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 Celebes. Gradually, Johan finds himself questioning the war more and more.

Day One was given the wonderful experience of highlighting the streaming (Prime Video) and theatrical release. They set up a digital media and influencer campaign in the BENELUX with influencers such as: Ronnie Flex, Larissa Verbon, Isa Hoes, Dinand Westhoeff… We chose to use influencers who have a family connection to Indonesia, because their family roots are there. For the digital campaign, we boosted trailers from the film, as well as created additional content with Boomerang Agency, in which Dutch actors portray their ‘Look On The East’ and how this reflects on their family history.