Expat Cinema: Riefenstahl

Doubts about the innovative talent of filmmaker and photographer Leni Riefenstahl (1902-2003) were never present; fierce criticism of the way Riefenstahl covered up or glossed over her activities as a propagandist of the Third Reich after the war all the more so. Could it really be that Riefenstahl had not had any contact with Hitler or Goebbels, the perfidious master propagandist?

Riefenstahl makes it clear that those who consistently rewrite their own past come to believe their own lie - a lie that may eventually come to be regarded as truth. Andres Veiel's film opens one's eyes not only to the past, but also to the present. Veiel delved deep into the life and work of the controversial director and had access to - never before seen - documents and footage from Riefenstahl's private archive.