Trances

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.


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 Blu-ray Special Edition Features

  • 2K digital restoration by The Film Foundation’s World Cinema Project in collaboration with the Cineteca di Bologna with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
  • 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 !

Purchase Options

Collector's Sets

Collector's Set

Martin Scorsese’s World Cinema Project No. 1

Martin Scorsese’s World Cinema Project No. 1

Blu-ray/DVD Combo Box Set

9 Discs

$99.96

Director-Approved Blu-ray Special Edition Features

  • 2K digital restoration by The Film Foundation’s World Cinema Project in collaboration with the Cineteca di Bologna with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
  • 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 !
Trances
Cast
Omar Sayed
Nass El Ghiwane musicians
Larbi Batma
Abderrahman ”Paco“ Kirouche
Allal Yaala
Credits
Director
Ahmed El Maanouni
Produced by
Izza Génini
Souheil Ben Barka
Screenplay by
Ahmed El Maanouni
Cinematography
Ahmed El Maanouni
Editor
Jean-Claude Bonfanti
Music by
Nass El Ghiwane
Sound recordist
Ricardo Castro

Current

Trances: Power to the People
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Ahmed El Maânouni’s film celebration of the musical group Nass El Ghiwane is part of a long tradition of Moroccan cinema.

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World Cinema Project: Recalled to Life

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