Release Date: May 4, 2021
Prices and Links:
Criterion- $31.96
Amazon- $39.95
Director: Ahmed El Maanouni
Writer: Ahmed El Maanouni
Starring: Larbi Batma, Abderrahman Kirouche, Allal Yaala, Omar Sayed
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. Storytellers through song and traditional instruments, and with 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.
Martin Scorsese on Trances:
Prices and Links:
Criterion- $31.96
Amazon- $39.95
Director: Ahmed El Maanouni
Writer: Ahmed El Maanouni
Starring: Larbi Batma, Abderrahman Kirouche, Allal Yaala, Omar Sayed
- Morocco
- 1981
- 88 minutes
- Color
- 1.66:1
- Arabic
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. Storytellers through song and traditional instruments, and with 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.
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 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
Martin Scorsese on Trances:
