Albert Balink

Albert Balink (1906 – 1976) was a Dutch journalist and filmmaker, best known for his influential role in shaping Dutch colonial perceptions and for producing the film Pareh (1936).

Balink was born in Rotterdam, Netherlands. He emigrated to the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) in the 1920s where he worked as a journalist for several newspapers. He was a staunch advocate for the interests of Dutch colonists and often promoted a paternalistic view of the native Indonesian population.

Balink is primarily remembered for producing Pareh, directed by Mannus Franken and G. Kruger. This film was one of the first sound films produced in the Dutch East Indies and employed a predominantly native cast. While seemingly portraying Indonesian life and struggle, the film was funded by colonial interests and served, at least in part, to promote Dutch rule by depicting a submissive population eventually saved by benevolent Dutch intervention. This depiction drew criticism both at the time of its release and in retrospect for its reinforcement of colonial power dynamics.

After the Dutch East Indies gained independence, Balink returned to the Netherlands. His legacy remains complex, marked by his contributions to early Indonesian cinema but also marred by his role in perpetuating colonial stereotypes and supporting a system of oppression. He died in 1976.