Filmmaker In-Soo Radstake's exit tips

In-Soo Radstake was born in 1979 in Seoul, South Korea. He studied journalism and then worked as a director and producer on several feature films, documentaries, and theatre productions. He made his debut as a maker in 2006 with the feature-length documentary Made in Korea , which had its world premiere at the prestigious Busan International Film Festival and was the only Dutch film to finish in the top ten of the Audience Award at IFFR 2007.

His second feature-length documentary Parradox (2010), about legendary film pioneer Pim de la Parra, had its world premiere at IDFA, where it received a nomination for Best Dutch Documentary.

Radstake also directed two television documentaries: It's so nice to be Surinamese (2008) and Echoes of a War (2016). His latest documentary is Indië Verloren... (Selling a Colonial War). He reveals how the Dutch government maintained the frame of a just war in Indonesia for decades through framing, propaganda and political decisions. The film will have a pre-premiere at LantarenVenster on 4 January and then run in cinemas nationwide.

In-Soo lives in Rotterdam with his partner Dewi Reijs and two children. Where does he like to visit in the city?

Rotterdam Open Screen

''This is a film programme where short films by talented makers selected by an expert jury are screened every month. The makers are almost always also present for a short post-screening discussion. The audience can vote for their favourite. At the end of the season, the best films advance to the season finale. There is also a chief guest every month. Last month, I got to come there and talk about my career and was interviewed by none other than Rotterdam filmmaker Shariff Nasr. These are always busy evenings where you can meet young and old from the Rotterdam film scene. Nice touch is the drinks afterwards: they are free!''

Bap Boss, Man Nam, Gamasot and Gangnam

''If you compare it to 10 to 15 years ago, there is much more on offer now in terms of Korean food. I really recommend Bap Boss and, diagonally opposite, Man Nam. Both restaurants on Goudseingel serve delicious authentic Korean food in an intimate atmosphere. Gangnam KBBQ is a place where you have an all-you-can-eat concept and can barbecue deliciously at the table. A real classic by the way is Gamasot on Pannekoekstraat, a kind of Korean home cooking what you can find there.''

IFFR

''At the end of January, the film tiger will again be let loose in Rotterdam and you can once again delightfully immerse yourself in films from all over the world. But also, of course, from your own country, or even closer: from your own city. Every year there is the RTM programme with only films from Rotterdam

Rotterdam Chinese New Year

''In February, Chinese New Year will again be celebrated in Rotterdam. This year heralds the Year of the Dragon. The Chinese community is inseparable from Rotterdam, and yet the history of the Chinese in Rotterdam is very much unknown. From my foundation Meer Dan Babi Pangang, we wrote a long essay for the book Rotterdam, a postcolonial city on the move in 2020. This contains a lot of background on the history of the Chinese community in our city. In addition, the brilliant book Chinese Kees, my father, my grandfather, my family in Chinatown Katendrecht was published a few weeks ago. The book was written by David Zee, a grandson of Rotterdam's first Chinese restaurant owner. David worked on this for an incredibly long time and the book was presented in Verhalenhuis Belvédère on Katendrecht, which is also highly recommended to visit. Here you can hear personal stories of Rotterdam residents, often while enjoying a delicious meal. Be sure to check out their programme Belvédère's Volkskeuken.''

India Lost... (Selling a Colonial War)

''Of course I have to mention my new film here, which will run from 11 January in almost 30 cinemas in the Netherlands. At the past International Documentary Festival Amsterdam (IDFA), the film won the Beeld en Geluid IDFA ReFrame Award for Best Creative Use of Archive. The film was the only Dutch film selected for the international competition. The film shows how under the guise of 'police actions' the Netherlands fought a war in Indonesia, how politicians managed to sell this battle to the population, and why no attention was paid to the violence on the other side during the Bersiap period.''