'Riefenstahl' will open DocsBarcelona on May 8, coinciding with the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II

On May 8, 2025, eight decades will have passed since the end of the Second World War, the bloodiest conflict in contemporary history. The commemoration of this date, which will include events around Europe, will also be part of the program of the 28th edition of the Barcelona International Documentary Film Festival - DocsBarcelona from its opening night. The festival will open its doors that day at the Sala Phenomena in Barcelona with Riefenstahl, a documentary that traces the artistic legacy of the official filmmaker of Nazi Germany, and will run until May 18.

With previously unseen archive material, private films, letters and photos that span the 101 years of the life of one of the most controversial women of the 20th century, Andres Veiel (If Not Us, Who?, Loving Highsmith) offers in Riefenstahl a new portrait of the director of Triumph of the Will and Olympia. It suggests her awareness of the atrocities of the Third Reich and captures her attempts to rewrite her own history. Produced by the renowned journalist Sandra Maischberger, the film was received in German cinemas by more than 120.000 spectators, after its world premiere at the Venice Biennale in 2024.

DocsBarcelona's artistic director and head of programming, Maria Colomer, highlighted that “Riefenstahl reflects on cinema and power through a director who controlled her own narrative and images that, over time, reveal more than they hide. In a time of political change, war, and growing instability, the documentary reminds us of the seductive power of images and narratives, while posing a crucial question: what is the artist's responsibility? Through the archive, Riefenstahl shows us how history is constructed and rewritten, inviting us to rethink the past and its current perception.”

Germany, guest country, and Heino Decket, winner of the Docs Honorary Award

The 28th edition of DocsBarcelona will feature Germany as its guest country, highlighting its historical legacy and impact on the non-fiction film industry. The combination of a dynamic independent industry and the strong institutional support it has received has fostered an extraordinary diversity of perspectives and formal innovation that will also be reflected in the festival's programming, with a selection of productions in competition, as well as professional activities aimed at fostering collaboration between German filmmakers and the international industry.

Along the same lines, the festival will pay tribute to renowned German producer and distributor Heino Deckert, who will receive the 2025 Docs de Honor Award, with a masterclass at the Filmoteca de Catalunya and the screening of two of his most emblematic works: Rabbit à la Berlin, a surprising story about the rabbits that inhabited the security zone of the Berlin Wall, a metaphor for the division of Germany, and Heimat is a Space in Time, a poetic journey through German history that combines personal and collective memory.