''Trances'' (; ) is a 1981 documentary film about the influential Moroccan avant-pop band

Nass El Ghiwane Nass El Ghiwane () are a musical group established in 1970 in Casablanca, Morocco. The group, which originated in avant-garde political theater, has played an influential role in Moroccan chaabi (or ''shaabi''). Nass El Ghiwane were the first ...

. It was shot, written, and directed by Ahmed El Maânouni.

Summary

The film is primarily composed of scenes portraying the band performing concerts in Morocco, interspersed with excerpts from interviews with band members about the meaning of their songs and music. The film also includes archival footage of colonial-era Morocco in the form of flashback sequences, as well as personal moments in the band members' daily lives.

Production history

Maânouni presented a working copy of the film to its eventual producer, Izza Génini (known for distributing musical films), at the first screening of his previous film

Alyam, Alyam ''Alyam Alyam O les jours'', a.k.a. ''Oh the Days!'', is a 1978 Moroccan drama film. Synopsis Following his father's death, Abdelwahad, a young man, has to take his place as head of the family. His presence is crucial to the family unit, espec ...

. After hearing

Larbi Batma Laarbi Batma (or Laarbi Batma) ( ar, العربي باطما; born in Chaouia; 1948 - 7 February 1997) was a Moroccan musician, poet, singer, writer, actor, and the front man of the group Nass El Ghiwane. Early life Batma grew up in the Hay ...

's voice and attending a concert held by the band, Génini offered her services to Maânouni as a producer. Soon, the initial project (which was a filmed concert) expanded in scope to become a feature-length documentary following the band's activities. Originally released in 1981, it was restored in 2007 by the

World Cinema Foundation The World Cinema Project (WCP), formerly World Cinema Foundation, is a non-profit organization devoted to the preservation and restoration of neglected world cinema, founded by Martin Scorsese. History Founded in 2007 as the World Cinema Foundati ...

Cineteca di Bologna The Cineteca di Bologna is a film archive in Bologna, Italy. It was founded on 18 May 1962. Since 1989, it has been a member of the Fédération internationale des archives du film (FIAF). It has been a member of the Association des cinémath� ...

/L’Immagine Ritrovata Laboratory. The film was picked specifically by

Martin Scorsese Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November 17, 1942) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter and actor. Scorsese emerged as one of the major figures of the New Hollywood era. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominatio ...

for the World Cinema Foundation's first release and was screened at the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...

in 2007 and at

Djemaa el-Fna Jemaa el-Fnaa ( ar, ساحة جامع الفناء ''Sāḥat Jāmiʾ al-Fanāʾ'', also Jemaa el-Fna, Djema el-Fna or Djemaa el-Fnaa) is a square and market place in Marrakesh's medina quarter (old city). It remains the main square of Marrakesh, ...

square in

Marrakesh Marrakesh or Marrakech ( or ; ar, مراكش, murrākuš, ; ber, ⵎⵕⵕⴰⴽⵛ, translit=mṛṛakc}) is the fourth largest city in the Kingdom of Morocco. It is one of the four Imperial cities of Morocco and is the capital of the Marrakes ...

, Morocco. The film has since been distributed by the

Criterion Collection The Criterion Collection, Inc. (or simply Criterion) is an American home-video distribution company that focuses on licensing, restoring and distributing "important classic and contemporary films." Criterion serves film and media scholars, cinep ...

References

External links

*
''Trances: Power to the People''
an essay by Sally Shafto at the

Si le spectateur européen ne s'ouvre pas à nos films, il s'enferme" : An Interview with Ahmed El Maanouni
interview with the director.

interview with the producer. 1981 films Moroccan documentary films 1980s Arabic-language films {{Morocco-film-stub