Documentary by Andreas Weil Riefenstahl – Exposing the hoaxes of German filmmaker and Nazi propagandist Leni Riefenstahl – has made several deals since its world premiere. Venice and the North American launch at Telluride.
Munich-based world sales company Beta Cinema announced deals in France (ARP), Spain (Filmin), Portugal (Midas Films), Scandinavia (Edge Entertainment), Benelux (Imagine), Poland (Against Gravity), Hungary (Circo Films). . Former Yugoslavia (MCF) and Japan (Longride Entertainment).
As previously announced Majestic is releasing the film in Germany while the Italian release is being handled by co-producer Rai Cinema. Additional territories are currently under negotiation.
Riefenstahl is one of the most controversial filmmakers of the 20th century, as an artist and Nazi propagandist, thanks to her 1930s films. Victory of the Will And Olympia – Occupying the 1934 Nazi Party convention in Nuremberg and the 1936 Berlin Olympics in Berlin.
She always denied close ties to Adolf Hitler and other prominent figures in his Nazi regime, or any intention to further his aims through her work, portraying herself as a non-political director or observer.
VL’s documentary unpicks this claim, piecing together documents from her estate, including private films, photos, recordings and letters, the work uncovers fragments of her biography and places them in a broader historical context.
Deadline unveiled the trailer ahead of the Venice screening. Look at that here.
Produced by German political journalist Sandra Meschberger, Riefenstahl The documentary is the first to have full access to the filmmaker’s estate.
“We are delighted that many of our distribution partners around the world share our enthusiasm for questioning propaganda, right-wing extremism and questions of personal responsibility that may not only be timely in Germany,” said Beta Cinema CEO Dirk Schuerhoff.
Meschberger suggested that the film’s performance in Venice was appropriate because the director’s Victory of the Will And Olympia The festival had its world premiere in the 1930s, when Italy was in the grip of fascism, winning the Mussolini Cup.
“When I realized how much material Riefenstahl left behind about his life, much of it is not known to the public… Our presentation of the film in Venice, where Riefenstahl’s films also premiered, felt like a much-needed counterpoint to his lies and subterfuge. . ” she said.
Weil added: “I am grateful to Sandra and the entire team for taking on the Sisyphean task of trying to understand Riefenstahl’s aesthetically impressive but morally compromised life. We hope our film will help audiences understand the allure and danger of populist and right-wing propaganda, wherever they are.”
The film is produced by Vincent Productions GmbH in association with WDR, NDR, BR, SWR and RBB in association with Rai Cinema.
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