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Trances
Trances
8.2
/10
965 Ratings

TRANCES

Directed by Ahmed El Maanouni
Morocco, 1981
Documentary, Musical, Music

Synopsis

This documentary follows groundbreaking Moroccan band Nass El Ghiwane on a series of performances in Morocco, Tunisia, and France. As storytellers connected to political theatre, using traditional instruments and borrowing from texts of ancient poets, the band became an international sensation.

Synopsis

This documentary follows groundbreaking Moroccan band Nass El Ghiwane on a series of performances in Morocco, Tunisia, and France. As storytellers connected to political theatre, using traditional instruments and borrowing from texts of ancient poets, the band became an international sensation.

Our take

Ahmed El Maânouni’s kinetic concert film is an unforgettable documentary portrait of Moroccan band Nass El Ghiwane. Offering reflections on Moroccan musical traditions, trance states, and the power of political theater, the pioneering group lead their audience—and us—to an encounter with ecstasy.