Constructing Collective Media Memory. Fans, Cinema, and the Dutch collective memory of World War Two

The Second World War is one of the largest historical events in recent history. In the Netherlands, a country that lived under a five-year German occupation, the wounds still hurt those in society who experienced them. However, with time passing by the memory of the Second World War is fading. And as the generations that lived through it are getting smaller, the memories are growing more distant. Current generations like Generation Y or Millennials are so far removed from the war that the event may seem unimaginable to them. To remember events that shaped society, collective memory needs to be passed on. However, with memories being so far from the current day, how do the memories reach the new generation? The memories of a large historical event like this are passed on through sources like history books and stories of survivors. But in a world with a decreasing number of survivors, what is there to keep the stories alive? Could media, like feature films, play a role in this? And how is this experienced by modern-day film audiences? This research investigates this phenomenon and discovers how the audiences of the World War II film genre recognize this process and how they engage with it. Fans and their interaction with the films and the construction of memory are the focus of this research. As fans are more invested in the media that they consume and are more aware of the place of the media product in the market. Therefore, this research aims to answer the question of How do fans engage with the construction of collective memory in history films? The aim is to understand how the fans engage with the films, how and whether they experience these films contributing to the construct collective memory and what role they, as entertainment media products play amongst history books and family stories. The construction of collective memory is influenced by a multitude of factors. Firstly (1), the authenticity of the story told through media, in this case, a feature film, must portray the historical event authentically. This is whether the audience perceives the portrayal as being realistic and accepts it as being a visual representation of the event. Furthermore (2), the fans that engage with the historical feature films, present unusual, private fan behaviour but more on researching and discovering more about the topic. These interactions prove that engagement with this topic stimulates curiosity and an incentive to learn. And lastly (3), personal existing interest is essential for engagement with the films. The existing interest is also relevant for using feature films as tools for creating media memory as the interest will motivate people to consume the media. Therefore, to be able to possibly fill the gap created in the familiar memory by the older generations, members of society should develop an interest in the films for them to be as effective in the creation of memory as it has been with the film fans.