Leni Riefenstahl
Helene Bertha Amalie “Leni” Riefenstahl was born in 1902 in Berlin. Adolf Hitler put her in charge of filming the 1934 Nazi rally at Nuremberg, as well as the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. The two films, "Triumph of the Will" (1935) and "Olympia" (1938) are landmark documentaries, and Riefenstahl is considered one of the great innovators in moving pictures, though she arguably remains one of the most controversial filmmakers in history. She is the sole woman director on a Time magazine list of the all-time 100 best films. In the 1960's Riefenstahl began voyaging frequently to the African continent, creating her world famous Africa oeuvre of various film and photography projects over the last half century. At the age of 72 she began scuba diving; her 2002 film "Impressions Under Water" was compiled from footage she took while diving. She lived to be 101, dying in 2003.
Courtesy of Leni Riefenstahl Produktion.
Leni Riefenstahl is featured in Edition: Guest Editor, Price Latimer Agah
