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Ghosts of Germany’s Past Evoked in Venice Films ‘Riefenstahl,’ ‘September 5’

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Ghosts of Germany’s Past Evoked in Venice Films ‘Riefenstahl,’ ‘September 5’

Andres Veiel’s documentary “Riefenstahl,” which challenges the carefully crafted public persona of one of Germany’s most controversial directors, who was forever tainted by working with the Nazis, is one of 17 German films playing in the various sections of the Venice Film Festival.

A deep dive into Leni Reifenstahl’s previously inaccessible archive, the 160-minute film lifts the lid on secrets the director of the 1935 Nuremberg propaganda film “Triumph of the Will” struggled more than half her life to keep hidden.

Veiel, who was brought onboard to direct by producer Sandra Maischberger of Berlin’s Vincent Films – who had gained unfettered access to Riefenstahl’s archive after the death of her longtime companion and husband Horst Kette in 2016 – is untroubled by the film’s out-of-competition berth as he believes the festival is the right venue for its first showing.

“For me, it is the right festival for the film,” Veiel tells Variety. “The political situation in German and Italy is similar – with the rise of the right-wing, and a longing for propaganda and fake news. For a debate about the film, it is one of the best festivals for us.”

There are also ghosts of the past in Venice – Riefenstahl screened several of her films at the festival in the 1930s, including her two Nazi propaganda films, and her first feature “The Blue Light,” made in 1932. She even had a retrospective on the Lido in the 1950s, at a time when she was just beginning to construct a persona distanced from the Nazis, and – as “Riefenstahl” shows – largely built on lies.

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Although not an easy film to watch – as Veiel succeeds in proving her apparent complicity in the murder of Jewish men in Poland and admiration for Hitler – “Riefenstahl” is likely to prove a hot ticket in Venice.

Another much-anticipated film, Tim Fehlbaum’s Munich summer 1972 Olympics feature “September 5,” is playing in the Horizons Extra competition section. Starring Peter Sarsgaard and John Magaro, and revolving around the sports reporting team of U.S. broadcaster ABC, who have to switch from covering track and field events to the Israeli athletes’ hostage crisis, it focuses on how tragic events can also challenge the moral compass of journalists covering them.

In Horizons, Scandar Copti’s “Happy Holidays” tells the story of a Palestinian woman whose double life is revealed after a car accident in Jerusalem, and “Quiet Life,” directed by Alexandros Avranas, focuses on a family of asylum seekers whose hopes of creating a new life in Sweden are dashed when their application is rejected.

Two German co-productions are screening in the main competition – Athina Rachel Tsangari’s “Harvest,” adapted from the prize-winning book of the same name about an unnamed English village that seems to exist in neither time nor place – before it disappears for ever. There is also the Italian-German-U.S. co-production, “Maria” by Pablo Larrain, which tells the story of opera singer Maria Callas.

Looking further ahead, German films are also heading to the Toronto Film Festival.

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Key films in the lineup there include Fabian Stumm’s sophomore film “Sad Jokes” playing as an international premiere in the festival’s Discovery section. It focuses on the relationship between Joseph and Sonya – who are raising a son together although their relationship is platonic. Things go awry when Sonya has a breakdown, tearing Joseph’s attention away from a new film project – and the pain of a break-up with his ex-boyfriend, Marc.

Others already announced include “Edge of Night” by Türker Süer; “Seven Days” by Amil Samadi Ahadi, and “The Sunset Special 2” by Nicolas Gebbe.

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Hantavirus-stricken cruise ship arrives at Tenerife in Spain’s Canary Islands

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Hantavirus-stricken cruise ship arrives at Tenerife in Spain’s Canary Islands

TENERIFE, Spain (AP) — A hantavirus-stricken cruise ship with more than 140 people on board has arrived at Tenerife, the largest of Spain’s Canary Islands, off the coast of West Africa, where the passengers and some of the crew are to disembark.

The World Health Organization, Spanish authorities and cruise company Oceanwide Expeditions have said that nobody on board the MV Hondius is currently showing symptoms of the virus. Three people have died since the outbreak, and five passengers who left the ship are infected with hantavirus, which can cause life-threatening illness.

As a hantavirus-stricken cruise ship is set to arrive at Granadilla port in Tenerife, Spain on Sunday morning, the WHO, Spanish authorities and cruise company Oceanwide Expedition are coordinating the disembarkation of passengers and some crew on ground.

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The ship will not dock but will remain at anchor, with people ferried off in small boats. Everyone disembarking will be checked for symptoms, and will only be taken off the ship once evacuation flights are ready to fly them to their destinations.

There are currently people of more than 20 different nationalities on board.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, along with Spain’s health and interior ministers, were to be supervising the evacuation of the ship. Authorities have said the passengers and crew members who will disembark will have no contact with the local population.

Hantavirus usually spreads when people inhale contaminated residue of rodent droppings and isn’t easily transmitted between people. But the Andes virus detected in the cruise ship outbreak may be able to spread between people in rare cases. Symptoms usually show between one and eight weeks after exposure.

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North Korea updates constitution to require automatic nuclear strike if Kim Jong Un is assassinated: report

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North Korea updates constitution to require automatic nuclear strike if Kim Jong Un is assassinated: report

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North Korea has updated its constitution to require a retaliatory nuclear strike if leader Kim Jong Un is assassinated, according to a report.

The Telegraph reported the change comes amid heightened global tensions following the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and other officials during a recent conflict.

Khamenei was killed in an Israeli strike in Tehran as part of a coordinated U.S.-Israeli military operation earlier this year, Fox News Digital previously reported.

The constitutional revision was approved during a session of North Korea’s Supreme People’s Assembly, which opened March 22 in Pyongyang, the outlet said.

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ISRAEL TARGETS IRAN’S SUPREME LEADER IN SWEEPING STRIKES AS US JOINS ‘OPERATION EPIC FURY’

North Korea launched two cruise missiles and three anti-ship missiles from the destroyer Choe Hyon on Sunday, April 12, 2026, according to North Korean state media. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service/AP)

South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) briefed senior government officials this week on the update, according to the report.

The revised policy outlines procedures for retaliatory action if North Korea’s leadership is incapacitated or killed.

“If the command-and-control system over the state’s nuclear forces is placed in danger by hostile forces’ attacks … a nuclear strike shall be launched automatically and immediately,” the updated provision states.

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KIM JONG UN CALLS SOUTH KOREA ‘MOST HOSTILE ENEMY,’ SAYS NORTH COULD ‘COMPLETELY DESTROY’ IT

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un delivers a speech at the inauguration ceremony of Saeppyol Street in Pyongyang on Feb. 15, 2026. (KCNA via KNS/AFP)

Reuters previously reported that North Korea revised its constitution to define its territory as bordering South Korea and remove references to reunification, reflecting Kim’s push to formally treat the two Koreas as separate states.

That marked the first time North Korea included a territorial clause in its constitution.

Last month, Kim pledged to further strengthen the country’s nuclear capabilities while maintaining a hard-line stance toward South Korea, which he has called the “most hostile” state.

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Kim Jong Un reportedly observed missile test launches in North Korea on Sunday, April 12, 2026. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service)

Kim has also accused the United States of “state terrorism and aggression,” and signaled North Korea could take a more active role in opposition to Washington amid rising global tensions.

Fox News Digital’s Alex Nitzberg and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Iran warns US against attacks on tankers; Israel kills dozens in Lebanon

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Iran warns US against attacks on tankers; Israel kills dozens in Lebanon
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