Albert Maysles @ the Ashland Independent Film Festival
I just got word that one of my favorite documentarians will be making an appearance at this year's Ashland Independent Film Festival. He will be doing a talk on his long career as a filmmaker, showing clips from the many films that he has worked on and receiving the AIFF Lifetime Achievement Award.
If you're unfamiliar with Maysles' work, he and his brother David (who passed away in 1987), have brought some of the most indelible documentary images to the screen. I'm thinking particularly of the chilling moment at the end of the Rolling Stones documentary Gimme Shelter (which will be showing as part of the AIFF) when Mick Jagger and Charlie Watts get a firsthand look at the footage shot of the murder that took place at Altamont; or the surreal beauty of Little Edie dancing for the benefit of Albert's camera in Grey Gardens.
The full AIFF schedule looks positively wonderful, but I don't think I can miss out on the chance to hear an icon of documentary filmmaking speak about his storied career. Anyone else thinking of going?
oohhh, I'm jealous. I wish I could go! :o) I really enjoyed Grey Gardens (despite the fact that Edie's painfully close relationship with her mother sometimes hit too close to home...uh, I'm not talking about myself, of course. ;o)
I hope you will write a post about Maysles at the film festival. I'm very interested in what he says about his films (and about the making of them)!