Thierry Michel studied at the Institut des Arts de Diffusion, Bruxelles, before making his directorial film debut with the documentary Ferme du Fir. His films focus on Brazil (Grosses de Rio, 1990, and A Fleur de terre, 1990) and Africa (Zaire, le cycle du serpent, 1992, Somalie, l'humanitaire s'en va-t-en guerre, 1994, Donka, radioscopie d'un hopitail africain, 1996, Mobutu, roi du Zaire, 1999, Congo River, 2005). Fiction features he has directed include Hiver 60 (1982) and Issue de secours (1987).
