Which film documented the 1969 Altamont Free Concert and was released in 1970?

Gimme Shelter documented the 1969 Altamont Free Concert and was released in 1970. The documentary was directed by Albert and David Maysles with Charlotte Zwerin and focuses especially on the Rolling Stones’ performances and the escalating disorder around the event.

The filmmakers captured the concert while working with the Rolling Stones, but the footage became much more than a performance record. It shows crowd tensions, the stage area, the security arrangements, and the fatal stabbing of Meredith Hunter during the Stones’ set.

The title comes from the Rolling Stones song “Gimme Shelter,” which appears prominently in the film. The documentary is frequently cited as an important example of direct cinema and as a major historical record of late-1960s rock culture.

Gimme Shelter is not the same film as Woodstock, which documented the earlier 1969 festival near Bethel, New York. The two documentaries are often discussed together because they present sharply contrasting images of the era’s large outdoor concerts.