In the 1960s, former Dutch colony West Papua was on its way to independence. But international interests, geopolitical power dynamics, and economic motives decided otherwise. With unique and innovatively restored archival footage, The Promise brings history back to life and reveals how an entire people continues to suffer until this day. As the Dutch prepared for the independence of Netherlands New Guinea, Indonesia resisted, resulting into an armed conflict with its former colonizer. Under pressure from the United States and United Nations, the territory was handed over to Indonesia in 1962 without consulting its Papuan inhabitants. In a so-called Act of Free Choice, a referendum was promised to the Papuans to determine their own future, but that turned out to be a sham. Since then, Papuans in Indonesia are systematically persecuted, oppressed, and murdered into what has been called one of the most neglected genocides in the world. Against the backdrop of the Cold War, The Promise masterfully dissects how the future of West Papua was not only shaped on a political stage, but also in diplomatic backrooms and by powerful corporations that prioritized economic interests over human rights. To this day, vast amounts of West Papua’s natural resources continue to be extracted by international companies. With gripping stories of Papuans in exile and their struggle for recognition, director Daan Veldhuizen paints a painful picture in of how colonialism gave way to neocolonialism—and how the world remained silent.