Directed by Andres Veiel, the documentary Riefenstahl reveals the Nazi filmmaker's archives and her knowledge of the atrocities committed by Nazism.
Leni Riefenstahl was a German actress, filmmaker and photographer, and one of the most controversial figures in the history of cinema for her propaganda works of the Tercer Reich.
The new documentary also suggests that the German director may have been directly involved in atrocities committed against Polish Jews during World War II.
Among Riefenstahl's personal archives, Veiel found a letter from 1952 implicating her in the Końskie massacre. What can be deduced from the letter is that, during the filming of a scene, the director is said to have asked for Jews to be removed from the set, which led to her attempted escape and being shot at by German forces.
The documentary filmmaker on Nazism always denied knowing about the crimes committed during the war, but from the selection of fragments of recorded conversations, the documentary does suggest sympathy with Nazi ideals and deep regret at the fall of Hitler's regime.
The documentary will premiere in the Venice Film Festival amid expectations of controversy.