Kino Lorber has acquired North American rights to Andres Veiel’s Venice prize-winning documentary Riefenstahl about the infamous German filmmaker and propagandist Leni Riefenstahl.
Kino Lorber plans a theatrical release in 2025 followed by digital, educational, and home video release.
Sandra Maischberger produced Riefenstahl, which received the Cinema & Arts Award on the Lido, went on to screen at Telluride, and will play at Zurich Film Festival.
Riefenstahl broke into filmmaking after starting out as an actress, made films Triumph Of The Will and Olympia, and was friends with Adolf Hitler.
After the Second World War she spent decades denying her association with Nazi ideology and claimed ignorance of the Holocaust, yet her work has undergone revival and remains pertinent today at a time of rising far right power.
Veiel’s film explores how she become the Reich’s preeminent filmmaker if she was just a hired hand. Riefenstahl examines this question using previously unpublicised materials from her estate, including private films, photos, recordings and letter.
Sandra Maischberger served as producer. Kino Lorber head of theatrical acquisitions and distribution Lisa Schwartz negotiated the deal with Dirk Schuerhoff, CEO of Beta Cinema.
Riefenstahl is produced by Vincent Productions in co-production with WDR, NDR, BR, SWR and rbb, in collaboration with Rai Cinema. The production is supported by FFA, BKM, Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, Filmstiftung NRW, and DFFF.
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