Thierry Michel

Director, journalist and photographer, from coal mines to prisons, from Brazil and the Maghreb to black Africa, Thierry Michel has always denounced peoples’ distress and shared their revolts, sometimes in a mixture of fiction and reality. Born on 13 October 1952 in Charleroi in Belgium in an industrial region known as “Black Country”, Thierry Michel began studying at the Institut des Arts de Diffusion in Brussels at age 16. In 1976, he started working at the Belgian television where he made numerous reports around the world. He then went on to filmmaking. He directed two feature-length fiction films and many documentaries which have received international recognition and awards and have been shown around the world. Among them are “Gosses de Rio”, “Zaïre, cycle of the serpent”, “Donka, X-Ray of an African Hospital”, “Mobutu, King of Zaire”, “Iran: Veiled Appearances”, “Congo River”, “Katanga business” and “The Chebeya affair, a State crime ?”. Thierry Michel also taught cinema du reel for 20 years at the Institut des Arts de Diffusion in Belgium and now at the University of Liège. He leads many documentary film writing and directing seminars around the world. Thierry Michel is the author of 2 books about Africa (text and photos).

Productions :

2017 “Children of Chance”

Feature Documentary 98 min

2015 “The man who mends women – the wrath of Hippocrates”

Feature Documentary 112 min

Awards :

 * Golden Butterfly - A Matter of Act, Movie That Matter 2015 (Netherlands)

* Special Human Rights Award, Millenium 2015 (Belgium)

* Audience Award, Millenium 2015 (Belgium)

* Documentary Award, Vues d'Afrique 2015 (Canada)

* Human Rights Award, Vues d'Afrique 2015 (Canada)

* Audience Award, Cine Droit Libre (Burkina Faso)

* Television Award, Avanca Film Festival 2015 (Portugal)

2013 "The irresistible rise of Moïse Katumbi »

Feature Documentary 80 min

Awards :

Special Jury Prize at Festival International du film Panafricain de Cannes 2013 (France)

Special jury mention at Festival International de Cinéma Vues d'Afrique 2013 (Canada)

Nominated for Best Photography, « Gold Panda » Awards of 2013 (12TH) Sichuan TV Festival (Chine)

2011 "Floribert Chebeya, a state crime ?»

Feature Documentary

Awards :

* Grand Prix, FESTIVAL 2 VALENCIENNES (France)

* Grand Prix, FESTIVAL INTERNATIONAL DU FILM DES DROITS DE L'HOMME 2012 DE PARIS (France)


* Prix du Public, AFRIKA FILM FESTIVAL (Belgique)



* Prix Maurice de Wilde, DE GROENE BELGO DOC (Belgique)



* Mention Spéciale du Jury, FESTIVAL "VUES D'AFRIQUE" (Canada)



* Mention Honorable, SAN FRANCISCO BLACK FILM FESTIVAL (USA)



* Mention spéciale du jury du HUMAN SCREEN FESTIVAL (Tunisie)


2010 "Memory of Congo-Zaïre, unpublished fragments"

16 h of unpublished fragments

2010 "Katanga, the war for copper"

Feature Documentary 90 min

2010 "Metamorphosis of a station"

Feature Documentary 80 min

2009 " Sœur Sourire : les coulisses d’un tournage"

Medium-length Documentary 60 min

2009 "Ore and lore"

Medium-length Documentary 31 min

2009 "Mine of worries in Katanga"

Medium-length Documentary 60 min

2009 "Katanga business"

Feature Documentary 120 min

2006 "Carnet de tournage"

Medium-length Documentary 54 min

2005 "Congo River"

Feature Documentary - 120 min - serial (3 X 52')

Awards :

* The prize for International Confederation of Art House Cinemas Berlin Festival – Germany

* The prize for best feature documentary

20st Festival international du cinéma francophone en Acadie - Moncton – Canada

* The Audience Award at the 11st  Afrika Filmfestival –Leuven – Belgique

The Flemish Brabant prize

* The Bronze Anchor at the 38th festival internat. du film maritime, d’exploration et d’environnement - Toulon – France

* The « François de Roubaix » prize for music at the 38th festival international du film maritime, d’exploration et d’environnement – Toulon – France

* The  RTL prize  (Best Commentary) at the 38th  festival international du film maritime, d’exploration et d’environnement – Toulon – France

* The Honour Mention at international Ouidah festival - Bénin

* The Humanum Price awarded by the Belgian Union Cinematographic Press

2002 "Iran, sous le voile des apparences"

Feature Documentary 120 min

Le portrait d’une société fracturée entre Islam intégriste et modernité.

* Grand Prix au Festival du "Documentaire de création européen" de Strasbourg (France) 

* Official Selection of the Golden Gate Awards Competition. San Francisco –USA

* Prix Joseph Plateau – meilleur documentaire belge 01/02 - Gand, Belgique

* Coq de Cristal : Prix décerné le Parlement de la Communauté française – Belgique 2002

* Ezio Croci : prix du meilleur Film, Filmondo,  Milan – Italie

* Mention d'honneur Festival international du film documentaire Tel-Aviv (docaviv) Israël -2002

1999 "Mobutu, King of Zaire"

Feature Documentary – 135' - serial (3 X 52') – 59' - film 35 mm

Production: Films de la Passerelle - les Films d'Ici- Image Création – RTBF - MCF - CBA - Canal + - CEE - Eurimages - VRT - RTNC - ORF – MEDIA - Agence de la francophonie

Awards :

* Mention of honor in " Seen by Africa " on 1999 - Montreal - Canada

* Nominee in LOS ANGELES by international Documentary Association ( IDA) for the IDA AWARDS

* Special mention during the discount(delivery) of European Films Awards for Berlin

* Presentation by Rice Khan of Thierry Michel on CNN "emission Q&A"

1996 "Donka, the x-ray of an African hospital"

Feature Documentary - 55 minutes & 85 minutes

Production : Films de la Passerelle - RTBF - MCF - MSF - Zeaux - Image Création -  Canal + - BRTN - CBA

Awards :

* Prize of the Best Documentary Producer of the European Union at "Vue sur les Docs", Marseille 1996 France

* Golden Spire Winner at San Francisco International Film Festival in the Golden Gate Awards Competition, USA.

* Prize of the best international documentary and prize of the best film of the Festival at the International Documentary Festival from Toronto (Canada) "Hot Docs" Canada

* IDA Award in feature documentary section during the International Documentary Festival Association of Los Angeles  - USA

1995 "The last colonials "

Feature Documentary 61 minutes

Awards :

* Ecrans Nord Sud Prize, "Vues d'Afrique", Montréal (Canada)

* Prize of Honour, International Festival of Exploration film - Toulon (France)

1995 "Post-colonial nostalgia "

Medium-length documentary film 52 minutes

1994 "Aid for Somalia : a losing battle "

Feature Documentary  58 & 85 minutes

1994 "La grâce perdue d'Alain Van der Biest"

Feature Documentary 75 minutes

1992 "Zaire, the snake's cycle "

 Medium-length and Feature Documentary film  58 & 85 minutes

 Awards :

* Special Jury Prize at Nyon International Festival (Suisse)

* Sesterce d'argent at the International Festival of Nyon (Switzerland)

* The Public Prize the International Festival of Nyon (Switzerland)

* The documentary Silver Medal at l'URTI Monte Carlo (France)

* Nanook Prize at the twelfth ethnographic balance sheet in Paris (France)

* Golden Screen at the festival "Vues d'Afrique" in Montréal (Canada),

* Certificate of Merit at the 38ème Film festival of Cork (Ireland),

* First Prize at “ Filmer à tout prix ” in Brussels (Belgium)

1990 "From the grass roots "

Medium-length documentary film 52 & 85 min

Awards :

             * Mention of Honour at Golden Gate Awards San Francisco (USA)

"Kids from Rio "

Medium-length documentary film 48 min

Awards :

* First Documentary Prize at Biarritz (France)

* Best belgian short film of 89-90 in Gand (Belgium)

* Prize of Honour at Golden Gate Awards, San Francisco (USA)

* Mesquite Award Winner at San Antonio Cine Festival  (USA)

1987 "Emergency exit "

Feature Film Fiction 90 minutes

            * Awards of Salerne (Italy)

1985 "Private Hotel "

Feature Documentary 55 & 90 minutes

            * Awards at the Festival of Nyon (Switzerland)

1982 "Winter 60"

Feature Film

Awards :

            * Prize of social Film (Belgium)

            * Bologne Prize (Belgium)

1980 "Chronicle of the Seasons of Steel"

Feature Documentary

1975 "Black country, Red Country " 

Medium-length documentary film

1973 " Portrait of a Self-portrait "

Feature Documentary

1971 "Farm of Fir"

Short documentary film

CÉLINE RAUW

After graduating from the communication department at «la Haute Ecole de la Province de Liège" in Belgium, Céline made another year of training at the broadcasting center of Liège to become a specialist in media's education.

It is no surprise that, after several internship in the production field, this passionate of cinema is now taking care of the films production and distribution at Films de la Passerelle. In charge, with Christine Pireaux, of the development, the preparation, the shooting and the postproduction of films, Céline Rauw takes also care of broadcasting rights of films from the company's catalogue, as well as relationships with distributors and broadcasters.

Moreover Céline Rauw is the Films de la Passerelle Company’s favored correspondent with the national, communal, local and European institutions.

FRANÇOIS DOMBRET

Former intern at  Company, François Dombret returned to the team after his directing experiences to become the person in charge of the promotion.

He is in charge of the contacts with the Medias, the festivals ‘organizers and the public. François is also taking care of the DVD's sales. 

For further information relating to a film or a current production do not hesitate to contact him via e-mail:

films@passerelle.be