Be2Can Festival: Top films and a look at Leni Riefenstahl!

Be2Can Festival: Top films and a look at Leni Riefenstahl!

The Be2Can Festival is entering its twelfth round today and is once again showing an exciting program with 12 films, including some highly award-winning productions. Creative director Dominik Hronec made the selection together with his father Ivan. Personal preferences and possible viewer interest were taken into account in the decisions. Some films were selected two years ago based on their promising scripts. The presentation of three German-language films in particular sheds an interesting light on the diversity of the festival in Prague.

A highlight in this year's program is “What Marielle Knows”, a captivating film by Frédéric Hambalek, which premiered in the main competition of the Berlinale. The story revolves around a teenage girl with special abilities. The documentary “Riefenstahl” by Andres Veiel will also be shown, which deals with the life of the controversial director Leni Riefenstahl. A third German-language film, “The Disappearance of Josef Mengele” by Kirill Serebrennikov, sheds light on the events surrounding the famous doctor and his past and celebrated its premiere in Cannes.

A look at Leni Riefenstahl

Leni Riefenstahl, born in Berlin in 1902, has sparked both admiration and controversy with her work. After ending her dance career due to injury, she focused on filmmaking and became known for mountain films such as “The White Hell from Piz Palü”. The personal encounter with Adolf Hitler in 1932 was a turning point for her, and she put her artistic talents at the service of the National Socialist movement. Her films such as “Triumph of the Will” and the documentation of the 1936 Summer Olympics have been criticized several times as suggestive propaganda. World reports that her work never regained the same status after the war due to political controversies. Despite official denazification, she was unable to return to the film business.

The documentary “Riefenstahl” by Andres Veiel, which premiered in 2024, is described as a psychological portrait of the filmmaker. Veiel's film sheds light on Riefenstahl's self-image and the social entanglements of her work, attempting to place her statements in a critical context. It is particularly mentioned that the film also draws a current reference to the right-wing movement during the 18 months of editing. The film is praised by critics with a score of 96% on renowned platforms such as Rotten Tomatoes and 82/100 on Metacritic, which underlines the widespread recognition of its analysis. Wikipedia notes that Riefenstahl's estate was handed over to the Prussian Foundation for Cultural Heritage in 2016, which contributes to further research into her life and work.

Festival details

The grand opening of the Be2Can Festival will take place this evening at Prague's Lucerna cinema, with the film "Mother" by Teona Strugar Mitevska, in which Noomi Rapace plays the title role, chosen as the opening film. The festival will run in the Czech Republic until October 15th before moving on to Slovakia. The mix of current production and historical observations, such as Riefenstahl's, promises both in-depth insights and excitingly entertaining stories.