Evaluate the significance of the personality you have studied to his/her period of national and/or international history.
Throughout human history, certain individuals stand out as significant due to the role they played in key historical events and the impact they had in the context of their time. This is particularly true in the case of German actress and filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl, noteworthy for the key role she played in the promotion of Nazi ideology through propaganda in the Third Reich and her artistic skill and the pioneering cinematic nature of her films.
Your introduction to her is great, but I think it could be stronger. 'the prominent German actress and influential filmmaker' etc.; use more buzzwords if possible! Through an analysis of Riefenstahl’s filmic
is this the right word? It might be, I just haven't used it before! career and the part she played within the Nazi regime, the extent of Riefenstahl’s significance to both German national and international history may be established.
Long before Riefenstahl’s significance in German or international history was considered, Riefenstahl’s significance in her contribution to the history of the film industry was recognised.
So then why are you using this to answer the question? Either link it to the question, or don't use it Her films became noted for the innovative techniques they showcased, evidenced in her use of unusual camera angles and use of lighting in her 1934 film of the Nuremberg Rallies Triumph of the Will, which was awarded several prizes, not just in Germany but also receiving an award at the 1937 Paris Worlds Fair.
Can you get a bit more specific here? What are the names of the awards? Any other specific years? Details? Her pioneering use of moving cameras, aerial photography, long focus lenses and revolutionary approach to the combination of music and visuals established Riefenstahl as a successful filmmaker, yet the significance of her work would have been limited if it were not for the context in which she worked. According to Rother, without the Nazi regime, Riefenstahl’s career would be no more than ‘interesting.’
Nice. Just so it's clear, this is a really great essay, I'm just trying to get you to think about some additional factors so that when you sit the exam, you might use one or two of my suggestions 
Of far greater significance, however, is Riefenstahl’s involvement in the promotion of Nazi ideology and her relationship with Adolf Hitler. Realising Riefenstahl’s talent for filmmaking and her willingness to produce his films, Hitler met with Riefenstahl in 1933
Month? This is actually significant. and commissioned her to produce films of the Nuremberg Nazi Party rallies. Hitler had already begun to exploit the media in his production of propaganda which supported Nazi ideology and presented the Nazi cause, and Hitler himself, in a favourable light, primarily through the institution of the Reich Ministry of Propaganda and Public Enlightenment headed by Goebbels.
Can you throw in more detail here? How did he exploit the media? Radio? Television? How many listeners? The first of Riefenstahl’s Nazi commissioned films, Victory of Faith, depicted the rally of 1933, whilst her second, and most noteworthy Triumph of the Will, was shot at the Nuremberg Rally in 1934, and is seen today as one of the most skilfully made propaganda films of all time. Given free-reign over artistic and organisational concerns for the project, Riefenstahl produced a powerful visual piece featuring carefully rehearsed movements and elaborate scenes promoting the supposed unity of the German people under the direction of their Fuhrer, who was depicted as a heroic, almost god-like figure.
In answer to the question, would you say she was particularly significant? Or was she just a puppet of Hitler, who could have been replaced by anyone? Try to introduce nuance in your response; markers love that shitIn 1935, Hitler privately commissioned Riefenstahl to create her ambitious film of the 1936 Olympic Games. Riefenstahl’s film forms historic significance due to the insights it reveals into the Nazi regime and its goals. The film primarily focusses on the physical strength and beauty of the athletes themselves, historian Susan Sontag claiming that such a focus, also typical of Riefenstahl’s later films of the Nuba, reveal a strong Fascist aesthetic with its focus on Aryan strength and physical form, reinforced by the name of part two of Riefenstahl’s film Festival of Beauty. Frequent images of Hitler himself overseeing the games, complimented by the cheering of the crowds, further promotes the view Hitler evidently wished to present to the world at this stage of history: a strong and thriving people united by their Fuhrer. Thus, Riefenstahl’s film takes on the significance of more than simply an example of Nazi propaganda, but reveals to an extent the values of the German nation of the mid-1930s and the nature of Nazi ideology.
Love this last part. Just make sure to use the words of the question to link it back to your thesis; really great stuff thoughLeni Riefenstahl thus becomes a figure of significance in the history of both the German nation, and internationally. Whilst the innovative techniques Riefenstahl employed within her work gave her limited significance within the film industry, it was Riefenstahl’s role in the creation of propaganda and the era in which her films were created which give her significance on both a national and international level. The impact of her propaganda films on the German people of her time, their promotion of Nazi ideology and the insight they provide into the nature of the Nazi regime and the diplomatic goals of Hitler himself thus ensure Riefenstahl and her work maintain a lasting importance.
Great response. Really quite brilliant, you're going to do great in the exam. My comments above are just extra things to think about, small things that would improve the response slightly. Totally up to you whether you want to take them on board, though, because the essay is great! I wouldn't worry about the word count, you should be able to get through it all. You'll do great; relax, get some sleep, and good luck 