Summit Film: REIFENSTAHL @ Madison Community Arts Center

Posting this as an FYI about this event that Summit Film is hosting on Friday at the Madison Community Arts Center. I know that some of our members plan to attend. If there is interest in a pre-film dinner, post that in the comments and we may be able to make that happen! Learn more and get tickets at https://www.summitfilmsociety.com/

## REIFENSTAHL

## Documentary by Andres Veiel

## Playing Fri, September 26

## 7:30pm

## Discussion to Follow

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 film shows that Leni Reifenstahl is more relevant than ever.