Best known for the 1930s Nazi propaganda films Triumph of the Will and Olympia, German filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl (who died, aged 101, in 2003) is one of the most controversial figures of the 20th century. This riveting documentary, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival last year, sheds new light on the life and work of the woman who used her immense talent to promote Hitler’s racial ideology. Riefenstahl, both the documentary and its subject, is fascinating, if albeit chilling to watch. 

“(Veiel) paints a textured, complex portrait that feels close to definitive; a slice of dark history that speaks (eloquently, implicitly) to present-day tensions” – The Guardian