Trances
Trances
$28.00

The groundbreaking Moroccan band Nass El Ghiwane is the dynamic subject of this captivating, one-of-a-kind documentary by Ahmed El Maanouni, who filmed the four musicians during a series of electrifying live performances in Tunisia, Morocco, and France; on the streets of Casablanca; and in intimate conversations. Through song and traditional instruments, storytellers, and connections to political theater, the band became a local phenomenon and an international sensation, thanks to its rebellious lyrics and sublime, fully acoustic sound, which draws on Berber rhythms, Malhun sung poetry, and Gnawa dances. Both a concert movie and a free-form audiovisual experiment, bolstered by images of the band’s rapt audience, Trances is pure cinematic poetry.


Trances was restored in 2007 by the Cineteca di Bologna/L’Immagine Ritrovata laboratory, in association with The Film Foundation’s World Cinema Project, Ahmed El Maanouni, and Izza Génini. Restoration funded by Armani, Cartier, Qatar Airways, and Qatar Museum Authority.

FILM INFO

  • Morocco
  • 1981
  • 88 minutes
  • Color
  • 1.66:1
  • Arabic
  • Spine #689

DIRECTOR-APPROVED SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES

  • 2K digital restoration courtesy of The Film Foundation’s World Cinema Project in collaboration with the Cineteca di Bologna, with an uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray
  • Introduction from 2013 by The Film Foundation’s founder and chair, Martin Scorsese
  • Interview program from 2013 featuring director Ahmed El Maanouni, producer Izza Génini, musician Omar Sayed, and Scorsese
  • PLUS: An essay by film scholar Sally Shafto

    New cover by Tawfi Dawi/Hey Porter!


you may also be interested