"Riefenstahl" | Andres Veiel Q&A | Canberra

Following the screening of ‘Riefenstahl’, Andres Veiel will take part in a live Q&A session.

Written and directed by the acclaimed Andres Veiel, this masterful piece of documentary filmmaking delivers a captivating insight into the private estate of Leni Riefenstahl, delving into her complex relationship with the Nazi regime. Considered one of the most controversial  women of the 20th century as an artist and a Nazi propagandist, Riefenstahl’s films Triumph of the Will and Olympia stand for perfectly staged body worship and the celebration of the superior and victorious, while simultaneously projecting contempt for the imperfect and weak.

During her long life after the fall of Nazism, she remained unapologetic, controlling and shaping her legacy, determined to uphold her ideals. Using materials from unprecedented access to Riefenstahl’s private estate, including films, photos, recordings and letters, Veiel uncovers her life and artistic creations, and questions how Riefenstahl could become the Reich’s preeminent filmmaker, yet continue to deny any closer ties to Hitler and Goebbels.

Featuring narration by Andrew Bird and music by Freya Arde, Riefenstahl explores the enduring appeal of imperial greatness and Riefenstahl’s multi-faceted legacy in art and politics. 

”5/5 stars. extraordinary deep-dive documentary about the original cancelled artist.”
the guardian

2024 • 115 MIN • DOCUMENTARY • GERMANY • M
DIRECTOR: Andres Veiel 
CAST: Leni Riefenstahl, Andrew Bird
LANGUAGE: German with English subtitles and English




Director - Andres Veiel

Born in Stuttgart, Germany, Andres Veiel is a renowned film and theatre director and writer. While studying psychology in the 1980s, Veiel completed directing and dramaturgy training with Krzysztof Kieślowski at the Künstlerhaus Bethanien. His first feature-length documentary was Winternachtstraum (1992), followed by Balagan(1993), which won the Berlinale Peace Film Prize. Veiel earned attention with documentary Black Box BRD (2001), feature film If Not Us, Who? (2010), and feature film Beuys (2017), which received the German Film Award for Best Documentary.