Screening Leni Riefensthal's TRIUMPH OF THE WILL

About the meetup

The USC department of Cinematic Arts, Seeking Our Story, Women In Media and the Alliance of Women Directors are presenting director Leni Riefenstahl's most influential work as a cautionary lesson on the power of media and art in politics. Join us for networking before the film to meet above and below the line collaborators in our community.

TRIUMPH OF THE WILL
Written, Directed, Produced and Edited by Leni Riefenstahl
Commissioned by Adolph Hitler
Screening in 16mm courtesy of the UCLA Film & Television Archive.
Thursday, January 19th, 2017
6:00 P.M. Networking - RSVP to womennmedia@gmail.com
7:00 P.M. Film Presentation - RSVP here: cinema.usc.edu/Riefenstahl
NEW LOCATION! USC's The Ray Stark Family Theatre, SCA 108, 900 W. 34th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90007

This event is presented free of charge thanks to the USC Cinema Arts department. RSVPs are required. The RSVP list will be checked in on a first-come, first-served basis until the theater is full.

A dancer and movie actress by trade, Leni Riefenstahl directed her first film, The Blue Light in 1932 at the age of 30. Soon after, she received a commission from the Nazi Party for propaganda film The Victory of Faith (1933) followed by Triumph of the Will (1935). Though claimed as cinema verite, Riefenstahl carefully choreographed a crew of over one-hundred and seventy technicians throughout the city of Nuremberg for Triumph of the Will and rehearsed sequences as many as fifty times before the anticipated rally, staged largely for her cameras.

Riefenstahl commented that in this commission, Hitler "wanted a film which would move, appeal to, impress an audience which was not necessarily interested in politics." Through visual repetition and an appeal to emotion over reason, Riefenstahl created a masterwork of propaganda that announced Germany's rise from political instability to world superpower. As Ruth Starkman wrote for the University of California Press' Film Quarterly, Reifenstahl "presides as the 'mother' of modern media" (Vol. 51 No. 2.) The Economist claimed upon Riefenstahl's death that Triumph of the Will, "sealed her reputation as the greatest female film-maker of the 20th century" (Hand Held History, Sep 11th 2003).

About the group

Seeking Our Story screens historic films directed by women. Each month we highlight a different director in our Los Angeles based film club. Sign up for our event mailing list by emailing seekingourstory@gmail.com! We recently joined the Rack Focus initiative at the American Cinematheque in Hollywood and now present screenings through their historic Egyptian Theatre and the Santa Monica Aero theater. Ticket sales benefit the Cinematheque which is a 501c3 non-profit.

We partner with Women In Media for networking before each screening. Meet people looking for crew, let people know you're available, or tell folks about your projects. All are welcome. Contact seekingourstory@gmail.com with questions.