Upcoming Event: Student Movie Night

Don’t miss this chance to watch a powerful film, learn from a leading scholar, and reflect on a war that continues to shape our world. Sign up here!

📍 Date: 21 May, 2025
🕕 Time: 16:00-19:00
📍 Location: Drift 25, Room 301
🎟️ Free entry | Open to all students

The Cold War Research Network invites all students to join us for a special screening of Full Metal Jacket to mark the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War. This event offers a unique opportunity to reflect on one of the most defining and controversial conflicts of the Cold War era. The Vietnam War shaped international politics, fueled global protest movements, and left lasting scars on the societies it touched.

The Vietnam War remains one of the most remembered conflicts of the Cold War. Not only for its geopolitical stakes but also for the intense human cost and widespread global resistance it sparked. Its legacy shaped political discourse, collective memory, and cultural representations, such as in film.

To explore how this conflict has been remembered and represented, we’ll be screening Stanley Kubrick’s 1987 film Full Metal Jacket. This cinematic classic offers a raw and disturbing portrayal of both the psychological toll of military training and the brutal chaos of combat. The film follows a group of young U.S. Marines from boot camp to the front lines of the Tet Offensive, capturing both the dehumanizing machinery of war and the personal costs it exacts.

Kubrick’s vision remains one of the most influential depictions of the Vietnam War. Its themes of violence, identity, and indoctrination resonate just as powerfully today as they did nearly four decades ago.

The evening will kick off with an introduction by Dr. Rimko van der Maar (University of Amsterdam), expert on Cold War history and author of In de ban van Vietnam. He will offer insights into the historical context of the film to kick off what promises to be an interesting, fun, and educational evening.

We hope to see you there!