Monday, January 24, 2011

An American Master at IC

Albert Maysles, one of the most important documentary filmmakers in the world, continues to shoot extraordinary films and help others do so as well. We have invited Mr. Maysles to honor us with his presence and to share his experience at Ithaca College, not only with our students, but with the entire community at large.

From February 6 to February 8th 2011, Albert has agreed to present some of his most important films in an open forum and culminate with an open Master’s Class where both students and faculty will have a chance to take a close look into one of the warmest and most passionate minds that have ever looked through a camera lens at our common, everyday reality.

His recently formed non-profit Maysles Institute in Harlem trains children, ages 9-12, many of whom have parents in jail, to make their own films by handing out cameras and helping them to produce DVD’s that they then send to their parents. This is a particularly relevant example of the application of your craft to the common good, which is very important for students of different disciplines to understand.

The list of his accomplishments is endless; the first Beatles films, Gimme Shelter with the Rolling Stones, and many other portraits of the greatest artists, musicians, writers, actors and politicians of our time, as well as the lives of ordinary people, the poor, the terminally ill, the abandoned. All have made him an extraordinary witness of our complex times and the recipient of innumerable awards. Mr. Maysles is truly an Enduring Master.