Anne Belle, 68; Filmmaker Noted for Ballet Documentaries

Anne Belle, a filmmaker who created three documentaries about the world of professional ballet in New York City, died of a heart attack June 18 in New York. She was 68.

Belle’s films have been shown at festivals around the world. Her 1996 film about choreographer George Balanchine’s final inspiration, dancer Suzanne Farrell, was nominated for an Academy Award. Directed with Deborah Dickson, the film gave Farrell’s account of her relationship with Balanchine.

Belle and Dickson directed “Dancing for Mr. B: Six Balanchine Ballerinas” in 1989; and Belle produced “Reflections of a Dancer: Alexandra Danilova” in 1987.

Her first two films, shown on PBS, were “Baymen -- Our Waters Are Dying,” about clam-diggers on Long Island; and “Henry,” about an old man living on a barge in the Hudson River.