Portugal

TRANCE

CREDITS

35mm - color - 126’

Direction: Teresa Villaverde
Screenplay: Teresa Villaverde
Photography: João Ribeiro
Editing: Andrée Davanture
Sound: Murielle Damain, Vasco Pimentel, Jöel Rangon
Set design: Zé Branco
Costumes: Silvia Grabowski
Cast: Ana Moreira, Viktor Rakov, Robinson Stévenin, Iaia Forte, Andrey Chadov, Tim, Filippo Timi, Dinara Droukarova.
Producer: Paulo Branco
Coproduction: Clap Filmes (Portugal), Gemini Films (France), Revolver srl (Italy)
World sales: Madragoa Filmes, Susana Rodrigues, Rua da Palmeira nº6, 1200-313 Lisboa – Portugal, Tél: +351 21 3255800 | Fax: +351 21 3428730, email: sales@madragoafilmes.com, susanar@madragoafilmes.com

SYNOPSIS

This is the story of Sonia, a young woman in her early twenties, who decides to leave a friend and family in Saint Petersburg, Russia, without looking back..
A woman who will experience the illusion of a new life and the hell of those for whom life seems to have nothing to offer.
Making her via crucis across Europe, through Germany, then Italy, and ending up at the extreme opposite, Portugal, Sonia will endure all the misery and degradation that the trafficking and exploitation of the weakest provokes.
This is a story of another Europe..

THE DIRECTOR: TERESA VILLAVERDE

Born in Lisbon in 1966, Teresa Villaverde is one of the most important directors of the young generation of Portuguese film-makers of 1990s.
Her cinematographic activity has not been limited to direction: she has participated to several productions as actress, set designer, scriptwriter, director and editor assistant.
Transe is her fifth feature film..

DIRECTOR NOTES

"Hell is a dog barking outside," wrote St. Theresa of Avila. This is the beginning of the 21st century and the dog barks far and wide. We still have not freed ourselves from torture, slavery or genocide. The main character in this film looks into that hell straight ahead and from real close but doesn’t get in because you have to be part of hell to be inside. She is not part of it but there is no way out. About his personal knowledge of a Nazi camp, Jorge Semprún wrote that one of the motors of survival is curiosity. If we don’t want to look, the flames will grow bigger. We live in times when nothing can be taken for granted, in which everything can fall apart. This film is about one piece that fell apart.

FILMOGRAPHY

2006 Transe (Trance)
2004 Cold Wa(Te)R - Visions Of Europe, short film
2003 A Favor Da Claridade (In Favour Of Clarity), documentary
2001 Água E Sal (Water And Salt)
1998 Os Mutantes (The Mutants)
1994 Três Irmãos (Two Brothers, My Sister)
1991 A Idade Maior (Alex)

SELECTED FESTIVAL AND AWARDS

2006 Transe (Trance) Cannes - Quinzaine des Réalisateurs
2001 Água E Sal (Water And Salt) Venice - Official Selection, In competition - Cinema del Presente
1998 Os Mutantes (The Mutants) Cannes - Official Selection, Un Certain Regard
1994 Três Irmãos (Two Brothers, My Sister) Venice - Official Selection, In Competition - Best Actress Award (Maria de Medeiros)
1991 A Idade Maior (Alex) Berlin - Forum of Young Cinema