Leni Riefenstahl (1902-2003)
German film director who made Nazi propaganda films, including Triumph of the Will and Olympia.

Group of five signed, second-generation modern print photographs, each depicting the director in different poses, one wearing an aviator's cap and goggles, 10.5 x 14.5cm
(5)

In the 1930s, she directed the Nazi propaganda films Triumph des Willens ("Triumph of the Will") and Olympia, resulting in worldwide attention and acclaim. The films are widely considered two of the most influential and technically innovative propaganda films ever made. Her involvement in Triumph des Willens, however, significantly damaged her career and reputation after World War II. Adolf Hitler collaborated closely with Riefenstahl during the production of at least three crucial Nazi films, and they formed a friendly relationship.

After the war, Riefenstahl was arrested and found to be a Nazi "fellow traveller" but was not charged with war crimes. Throughout her later life, she denied having known about the Holocaust and was criticized as the "voice of the 'how could we have known?' defence." Riefenstahl's postwar work included an autobiography and two photography books on the Nuba people.