Leni Riefenstahl  (German, 1902-2003) 

Leni Reifenstahl (German, August 22, 1902–September 8, 2003) was a dancer, actress, and German film director who was known for her innovation in filmmaking and the aesthetics of her films. Born under the name Helene Bertha Amalie, Leni Reifenstahl began taking dance and ballet lessons at the age of 16 at the Grimm-Reiter Dance School in Berlin. With a positive reputation among those in the dance circuit of Berlin, she quickly moved on to making films.

While working with Arnold Fanck (German, 1889–1974), Reifenstahl created a film called The White Hell of Pitz Palu (1929). This film helped spread her fame throughout Germany and beyond. Later, in her years as a filmmaker, Reifenstahl worked with Adolph Hitler, producing a chronicle of the Nuremberg Rally called Triump des Willens, also known in English as Triumph of the Will. This film was a major success in Germany, and led to Reifenstahl’s international recognition. She was the first female film director to receive such recognition. Although Reidenstahl worked to create films depicting the German army, she denied intentionally creating films to be used as pro-Nazi propoganda. However, she did dress in German military attire to serve as a war correspondent. On the other hand, she also told of a time when a German soldier prevented her from intervening in a civilian execution in Konskie, Poland. On another occasion, Reifenstahl was filming in Krün, Bavaria, and the extras needed to play Spanish women and farmers in her film were chosen from the gypsies detained at a nearby camp.

Examples of Reifenstahl's photography have been published in several books, including The Last of the Nuba. She also published marine life stills in a marine-based film called Impressionen Unter Wasser in 2002. Another successful film by Reifenstahl is Olympia, which is noted for both technical and aesthetic achievements for the time. She was one of the original filmmakers to use tracking shots in documentary films, and she was also noted for using slow-motion shots during her films. Olympia is considered to have had a major influence on modern sports photography. Reifenstahl died on September 8, 2003.