‘Riefenstahl’ Documentary Takes a Fresh Look at Why the Notorious Filmmaker’s Life Is a ‘Warning Out of the Future’

To what degree was infamous filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl a Nazi collaborator who knew about Adolf Hitler’s concentration camps? In the documentary “Riefenstahl,” which debuted at the 2024 Venice Film Festival, director Andres Veiel examines this question using never-before-seen documents from Riefenstahl’s estate, including private films, photos, recordings and letters.

“We were quite conscious that she manipulated a lot and that she removed some things (from her archives),” Veiel says. “Our gift, in a way, was that she made mistakes. She left a lot of things in her estate that charged her with being much more responsible regarding her guilt or her complicity.”

Riefenstahl, who died in 2003 at age 101, is known for her documentaries “Triumph of the Will” (1935) and “Olympiad” (1938), which were lauded for their masterful technical skill. The docs, which are defined by their fascist aesthetics, were funded by the Nazis. Riefenstahl’s friendship with Hitler and other Nazi…