Albert Maysles whom Jean-Luc Godard called "the best American cameraman" and The New York Times entitled the "dean of documentary filmmakers" will be the recipient of Outstanding Achievements in Documentary Filmmaking Award at Plus Camerimage 2011. A special retrospective with some of his most groundbreaking documentaries will be presented, as a part of Documentary Film Section “Image of the World - World in Images" under the patronage of Discovery Networks CEEMEA.

In addition, Albert will host a master class, featuring selections from his unsurpassed body of work, which spans over 55 years of filmmaking. Albert will show clips from many of his films and take questions about his iconic work as well as share his philosophy of filmmaking.


Albert Maysles

Albert Maysles is an Oscar - nominated documentary filmmaker and cinematographer recognized as a pioneer of Direct Cinema. Along with his brother David, Maysles was one of the very first to make documentary films where the drama of life unfolds as it is, without scripts, sets, interviews or narration. The Maysles brothers' best-known movies are Salesman (1969), Gimme Shelter (1970) the dazzling portrait of Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones and Grey Gardens (1976).

Other Albert Maysles titles include What's Happening? The Beatles in the USA (1964), six films of the monumental art projects of Christo and Jeanne-Claude: Christo's Valley Curtain (1974), nominated for an Academy Award, Running Fence (1978), Islands (1986), Christo in Paris (1990), Umbrellas (1995) and The Gates - A Project for New York City (2007). He also filmed Meet Marlon Brando (1965), With Love from Truman (1966) and a few documentaries for HBO: Abortion: Desperate Choices, Letting Go: A Hospice Journey and Lalee's Kin: The Legacy of Cotton. More recently, Albert and filmmaking partner Bradley Kaplan co-directed the award-winning film, Muhammad and Larry (2009) for ESPN. In addition, Albert and Bradley have co-directed a number of highly acclaimed projects, including Close-Up: Portraits (2008), Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out! (2009), More Than A Paycheck: Hardest Working Americans (2010), and Me, Marlon Brando, Marlon Brando and I (2011).

David Maysles, Mick Jagger, Albert Maysles and Charlie Watts filming "Gimme Shelter"
photo by David Dalton

Salesman, dir. and cin. Albert Maysles

Albert Maysles, for his standout achievements in documentary filmmaking, was recognized with numerous awards and scholarships. He received a Guggenheim Fellowship, two Peabody Awards, three Emmy Awards, six Lifetime Achievement Awards, the Columbia DuPont Award, and the award for Best Cinematography at Sundance (2002) for Lalee's Kin: The Legacy of Cotton, which was also nominated an Academy Award. In 1999, Eastman Kodak saluted Albert as one of the 100 world's finest cinematographers.

Albert Maysles Retrospective is organised with support from U.S. Embassy in Warsaw

Selected filmography:

2011 The Love We Make - cinematographer, director
2009 Muhammad and Larry - cinematographer, director
2008 Soul Power - cinematographer
2007 The Gates - cinematographer, director
2006 The Beales of Grey Gardens - cinematographer, director
2001 LaLee's Kin: The Legacy of Cotton - cinematographer, director
1994 Umbrellas - cinematographer, director
1992 Baroque Duet - cinematographer, director
1991 Soldiers of Music: Rostropovich Returns to Russia - cinematographer, director
1990 Christo in Paris - cinematographer, director
1987 Horowitz Plays Mozart - cinematographer, director
1986 Islands - cinematographer, director
1985 Ozawa - cinematographer, director
1985 Vladimir Horowitz: The Last Romantic - cinematographer, director
1978 Running Fence - cinematographer, director
1976 Grey Gardens - cinematographer, director
1974 Christo's Valley Curtain - cinematographer, director
1970 Gimme Shelter - cinematographer, director
1968 Salesman - cinematographer, director
1968 Journey to Jerusalem - cinematographer, director
1966 With Love from Truman Capote - cinematographer, director
1965 Meet Marlon Brando - cinematographer, director
1964 What's Happening: The Beatles in the USA - cinematographer, director
1963 Showman - cinematographer, director
1960 Primary - co-filmmaker, cinematographer
1957 Youth in Poland - cinematographer, director
1955 Psychiatry in Russia - cinematographer, director