
Riefenstahl
After the screening, join us for a Q&A (via Zoom) with director Andres Veiel!
Filmmaker and Nazi propagandist Leni Riefenstahl is considered one of the most controversial women of the 20th century. Her films Triumph of the Will and Olympia are defined by their fascist aesthetics, perfectly-staged body worship, and the celebration of all that is "superior" and victorious, simultaneously projecting contempt for the imperfect and weak.
But Riefenstahl–who first broke into the German film industry as an actress–spent decades after the war denying her association with Nazi ideology, and claiming ignorance of the Holocaust. How did she become the Reich's preeminent filmmaker if she was just a hired hand? Riefenstahl examines this question using never-before-seen documents from Leni Riefenstahl's estate, including private films, photos, recordings and letters, uncovering fragments of her biography and placing them in an extended historical context.
During her long life after the fall of Nazism, she remained unapologetic, managing to control and shape her legacy; in personal documents, she mourns her "murdered ideals." Meanwhile, her work would experience a renaissance, gaining esteem for its masterful technical skill. Today, Riefenstahl's aesthetics are more present than ever. Is that also true for their message? In an era where fascism is on the rise again, fake news is prevalent, and the meaning of political imagery is constantly dissected and debated, Andres Veiel's mesmerizing new film shows that Leni Riefenstahl is more relevant than ever.
New England Premiere
Winner – Venice Film Festival, Cinema & Arts Award
About Andres Veiel
Andres Veiel was born in 1959 in Stuttgart and studied Psychology in Berlin. After attending seminars in Directing and Dramaturgy at the Artist House Bethanien in Berlin, he has been active writing film and theater scripts and lectures at the Free University in Berlin. His films include the highly-acclaimed Black Box Germany (2001) which received the German Film Award for Best Documentary in 2002 and the European Film Award, Die Spielwütigen (2004), The Kick (2006), the feature If Not Us, Who (2011) which screened in Competition in Berlin, and the award-winning documentary Beus (2017). Veiel`s latest film Riefenstahl premiered at the Venice Film Festival in August 2024 went on to win the Guild Film Prize for Best Documentary and the Youth Jury Award at the Leipzig Film Art Fair. A captivating insight into the private estate of Leni Riefenstahl, who became world-famous with her Nazi propaganda film Triumph of the Will but kept denying any closer ties to the regime. Veiel uses documents from Riefenstahl's estate, including private films, photos, recordings and letters. The film uncovers fragments of her biography and places them in an extended historical context.
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