A Portrait of Michel
Catalogue

A Portrait of Michel

Digital, black and white, sound, 42.59 min
Christine Gedeon
DocumentaryExperimental
“A Portrait of Michel,” is an investigative portrait of my Uncle Michel and his mysterious abduction by the Hafez al-Assad regime in Damascus in 1978, after studying medicine in Toulouse.
Rental format: Digital file $50
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Catalogue / A Portrait of Michel

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About
Catalogue / A Portrait of Michel

About

“A Portrait of Michel,” is an investigative portrait of my Uncle Michel and his mysterious abduction by the Hafez al-Assad regime in Damascus in 1978, after studying medicine in Toulouse. Michel was never seen or heard from since. 

I was given a pouch that belonged to Michel filled with random objects and papers. This film presents these "Objects of Evidence," combined with family interviews, letters, and images from Toulouse, where the viewer can decode what possibly happened through this evidence. 

This portrait is interrupted by 8mm clips of my family gathering merrily in Northern Syria and Lebanon in 1946. Joyous times before all the tragedies.

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    Christine Gedeon's "A Portrait of Michel"

    A screening of Gedeon's experimental documentary, accompanied by an exhibition in our lounge

    On Friday, December 12th, 2025, at 7pm, join us at The Film-Makers' Cooperative (475 Park Avenue South, 6th Floor) for Christine Gedeon's remarkable experimental documentary A PORTRAIT OF MICHEL, presented in conjunction with an exhibition in our lounge. Gedeon will be in attendance to introduce her film and exhibition and answer audience members' questions.

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