The Zarah Leander Files

THE ZARAH LEANDER FILES immerses into the life of the Swedish film diva and reveals the story of a woman who enjoyed the proximity to power and believed she could toy with the mightiest men of the time.

Year

2013

Length

52 min

Directors

Torsten Striegnitz and Simone Dobmeier

Zarah Leander – she was the Third Reich’s greatest film star and best-paid film diva ever signed by the UFA. In just six years, from 1937 to 1942, she starred in 10 films produced in Nazi-Germany. Her extraordinary, deep voice – the trademark of Zarah Leander – constantly confused men and women alike. Her LPs were sold a million fold and until today, Zarah Leander’s songs belong to Germany’s musical DNA.

At the peak of her career in early 1943, Zarah Leander suddenly leaves her mansion in Berlin and returns to her home country Sweden. She leaves behind millions of devoted fans but never explains the reasons for her unexpected departure. Around the same time, rumours are starting to spread which will ultimately determine the myth of Zarah Leander: a Nazi diva, a non-political actress or a soviet spy.

Credits

Written, directed and edited by
Torsten Striegnitz
Simone Dobmeier

Director of Photography
Axel Schneppat
Jürgen Rehberg
Kalle Dobrick

Music
Andreas Bick

Production Manager
Nick Pastucha
Rainer Baumert

Producer
Georg Tschurtschenthaler
Susanne Radelhof

Executive Producer
Christian Beetz

Commissioning Editor
Dagmar Mielke (rbb/ARTE)
Jens Stubenrauch (rbb)
Alexander von Sallwitz (NDR)
Emelie Persson (SVT)

Sales & distribution

Trailer

„Just in diesem Moment überraschen uns die aus dem Theaterbereich stammenden jungen Regisseure Hans Block und Moritz Riesewieck mit einem erstaunlichen Dokumentarfilm, der seit Monaten Publikum und Kritik auf den wichtigsten Festivals der Welt elektrisiert. Völlig zu Recht: Es ist, als würden einem die Scheuklappen weggerissen, als sähe man das, was sich seit Jahren direkt vor unseren Augen abspielt, zum ersten Mal unverschleiert... eine fesselnde ,Doku noir' mit höchstem Anspruch...Dieser Film müsste an allen Schulen gezeigt werden.“

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung

17.05.2018