Riefenstahl
As an artist and filmmaker, Leni Riefenstahl (1902-2003) is considered one of the most controversial figures of the 20th century. Famous for her Nazi propaganda film Triumph of the Will and Olympia, she is seen as a visionary, but also as a woman wh...
As an artist and filmmaker, Leni Riefenstahl (1902-2003) is considered one of the most controversial figures of the 20th century. Famous for her Nazi propaganda film Triumph of the Will and Olympia, she is seen as a visionary, but also as a woman who subordinated herself to a disastrous ideology. Riefenstahl herself saw it differently: despite her connection to Hitler and Goebbels, she systematically denied close ties to Nazism after the war. She had simply seized an opportunity to use her talents. But how could Riefenstahl become the most prominent filmmaker of the Third Reich and still claim that she knew nothing of the war crimes?
Riefenstahl is an intense and multi-layered portrait of the w…
As an artist and filmmaker, Leni Riefenstahl (1902-2003) is considered one of the most controversial figures of the 20th century. Famous for her Nazi propaganda film Triumph of the Will and Olympia, she is seen as a visionary, but also as a woman who subordinated herself to a disastrous ideology. Riefenstahl herself saw it differently: despite her connection to Hitler and Goebbels, she systematically denied close ties to Nazism after the war. She had simply seized an opportunity to use her talents. But how could Riefenstahl become the most prominent filmmaker of the Third Reich and still claim that she knew nothing of the war crimes?
Riefenstahl is an intense and multi-layered portrait of the woman behind the filmmaker who, until her death, continued to attempt to justify her past. Through exclusive access to her personal archives – with around 700 boxes filled with photos, letters, private films, and other documents – director Andres Veiel unveils new perspectives on Riefenstahl's involvement with Nazism. In addition to the complexity of Riefenstahl as a person, Veiel's documentary explores the ethical boundaries of cinema and invites the audience to reflect on art and politics. Riefenstahl premiered at the Venice Film Festival, where it won the Premio Cinema e Arte.