Legendary US documentary maker Albert Maysles (Gimme Shelter) is among the 43 filmmakers presenting new projects at the Forum, the "pitching market" which starts today at the Amsterdam Documentary Festival (IDFA).

120 commissioning editors representing 63 broadcasters are in attendance at the event.

Maysles' project Hand-Held and From The Heart is a self-portrait in his own words and images, celebrating his 50th anniversary in filmmaking.

He will be making the film with his friend and colleague, Nell Cox. The hour-long documentary will feature rarely seen interviews Maysles has conducted with such figures as Muhammad Ali and Marlon Brando over the years as well as footage of his 1957 motorbike trip to Russia.

Broadcaster ARTE is already attached to the project, which has a projected production budget of Euros 484,909.

In Amsterdam. Maysles revealed that out-takes from Gimme Shelter, his documentary about the Rolling Stones' 1969 tour, are to be looked at by the San Francisco police as part of a new attempt to work out what really happened at the notorious Altamont concert.

A man was killed at the Festival by the Hell's Angels supposedly policing the concert. More than 30 years on, the case remains open.

Other projects creating an early buzz at The Forum include It Used To Be A Great Flag, the new film from Yoav Shamir (director of Checkpoint, last year's Joris Ivens award winner at IDFA) which is being made by Zentropa Doc, and The Adjusters, the next film from Thomas Balmes (A Decent Factory.)