The Gates of Damascus

2005
Boulos, Mark
In this work, Mark Boulos follows the events during an Easter weekend when Myrna Nazzour, a Syrian housewife claims to bear the stigmata wounds of Christ’s crucifixion as well as having ecstatic visions of Jesus and Mary. Her home is turned into a holy place as a large number of pilgrims, doctors and journalists visit her to witness the miracle. Mixing traditional documentary film with the supernatural qualities of a horror movie, Boulos depicts the frenzy of the film crews and pilgrims, all clamouring for evidence of her revelations. He refuses to come to his subject with a preconceived judgement. The film remains open and, as a result, we must make our own judgement on what we see. What we see, it appears, depends on what we believe. Boulos points us to one of the most vital elements of film and video. Photography, in all its forms, has always played off the promise of recording what is really there, in front of the camera. And, almost from its origins, film and photography have found ways to conjure up false images both to deceive and to entertain us.
  • Artwork Details: running time: 24 minutes 18seconds
  • Edition: 1 of 5
  • Material description: DVD
  • Credit line: © Funded by National Film and Television School.
  • Theme:
  • Medium: Film and Audio Visual
  • Accession number: ACC35/2006

Share

Close
Artists
Artworks
Exhibitions
Articles
Other

The Arts Council Collection is the UK's most widely seen collection of modern and contemporary art.

With more than 8,000 works by over 2,000 artists, it can be seen in exhibitions and public displays across the country and beyond. This website offers unprecedented access to the Collection, and information about each work can be found on this site.