Leni Riefenstahl
Helene Bertha Amalie "Leni" Riefenstahl was a German film director, photographer, actress and dancer widely known for directing the Nazi propaganda film
Triumph of the Will. Riefenstahl’s prominence in the Third Reich, along with her personal association with Adolf Hitler, destroyed her film career following Germany's defeat in World War II, after which she was arrested but released without any charges.
Triumph of the Will gave Riefenstahl instant and lasting international fame, as well as infamy. She directed eight films, two of which received significant coverage outside Germany. The propaganda value of her films made during the 1930s repels most modern commentators, but many film histories cite the aesthetics as outstanding.
The Economist wrote that
Triumph of the Will "sealed her reputation as the greatest female filmmaker of the 20th century". In the 1970s, Riefenstahl published her still photography of the Nuba tribes in Sudan in several books such as
The Last of the Nuba. Active until her death at age 101, she published marine life stills and released the marine-based film
Impressionen unter Wasser in 2002.