Leni Riefenstahl: Her Dream of Africa

Leni Riefenstahl: Her Dream of Africa (Leni Riefenstahl: Ihr Traum von Afrika) is a 2000 documentary-film by Ray Müller. The film follows Leni Riefenstahl's return to Sudan to visit the Nuba tribe whom she published photographs of in best-sellers such as The Last of the Nuba and The People of Kau. It is the second collaboration between Riefenstahl and Müller. She was the subject of his acclaimed 1993 documentary The Wonderful, Horrible Life of Leni Riefenstahl, which followed her life and reflected on her Nuba activities.[1][2]

Leni Riefenstahl: Her Dream of Africa
Directed byRay Müller
Written byRay Müller
StarringLeni Riefenstahl
Michael Degen
Franziska Petri
Suzanne von Borsody
Release date
  • 2000 (2000)
Running time
59 minutes
LanguageGerman

Synopsis

At the age of 97 Riefenstahl returns to Sudan for one final farewell to the Nuba that she lived with for 8 months and photographed and filmed extensively. Müller documents her return after 23 years away and her reaction to the collapsing culture that she once celebrated so avidly in her photographs.[1][2][3]

Production history

During the production, Riefenstahl was involved in a helicopter crash that prompted international headlines. The aircraft made a forced landing at El Obeid, 350 km southwest of the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, when returning from the Nuba mountains in central Sudan. Riefenstahl sustained two broken ribs and was repatriated to Germany for medical care along with her companion, Horst Kettner who was also injured. Riefenstahl had ignored security advice that advised her not to go the mountains to photograph Nuba wrestlers.[2][4][5][6]

Riefenstahl spoke to Reuters news agency a month prior to her accident; "Of course at my age it is not so easy and perhaps not completely without risk," and that "My only goal is to find my Nuba friends again, and above all try to find a way to help them."[2]

References
  1. LENI RIEFENSTAHL: HER DREAM OF AFRICA Archived 15 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine Wellington Film Society
  2. Leni Riefenstahl hurt in Sudan crash BBC. 1 March 2000
  3. Synopsis Bavaria Film International
  4. Leni Riefenstahl, 101, Dies; Film Innovator Tied to Hitler New York Times. 10 September 2003
  5. That Old Feeling: Leni's Triumph Archived 10 July 2012 at WebCite Time. 22 August 2002
  6. Riefenstahl in plane crash BBC Europe: World. 1 March 2000


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