The man with someone else's face.

Date:
2009
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About this work

Description

Documentary looking at the realm of facial transplantation surgery. In Amiens, France, November 2005, Isabelle Dinoire had a partial face transplantation. Professor Guo Shuzhong China's leading plastic surgeon at Xijing Hospital, Xi'an, has a ward full of patients with severe facial disfigurements. He is very keen to perform a full facial transplantation and takes on the case of Li Guoxing who was terribly disfigured after being attacked by a bear in 2004. He needs a full face transplantation including the bones of the nose - the 18-hour surgery is shown in some detail. Li returns to his village home but it is clear that the remote location will be difficult for him to gain access to the kind of medication he needs. Two years after his surgery his face begins to reject the transplanted tissue as he has not been taking the medication necessary to suppress his immune response to the new tissue. Reportedly, Li died last year. The documentary also brings us up to date with Isabelle Dinoire, 2.5 years after her surgery as she receives facial physiotherapy.

Publication/Creation

UK : Five, 2009.

Physical description

1 DVD (60 min.) : sound, color, PAL.

Copyright note

Summer Films and The Incubator 2008.

Notes

Broadcast on 22 April, 2009.

Creator/production credits

Filmed, produced and directed by James Routh.

Type/Technique

Languages

Where to find it

  • LocationStatusAccess
    Closed stores
    4358D

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