Albert Lamorisse(1922-1970)
- Director
- Writer
- Producer
A former photographer, he turned to directing short subjects in the
late 40s, soon acquiring an international reputation for the poetic
quality of his short and medium-length films involving the fantasy
world of children. Both his White Mane (1953) and The Red Balloon (1956) received a grand prize
at the Cannes Film Festival, the latter also winning an American
Academy Award. In the early 60s he turned to feature length films with
considerably less success, then retreated to documentary shorts. He was
killed in a helicopter crash while shooting a documentary near Teheran.
That film, The Lovers' Wind (1978), a visually stunning helicopter tour of Iran, was
later edited from his notes and was nominated for an Oscar as best
feature documentary for the Academy Award ceremonies of
1979.
