JOSH LUCAS WANTS TO CONTROL YOUR MIND 

 

Moonstone Entertainment announces: myCinema picks up MURDEROUS TRANCE for Nationwide  US Theatrical Release in Fall 2019. Psychological Thriller explores whether hypnosis can convince one to commit murder or other crimes.

 

MURDEROUS TRANCE, the psychological thriller based on the true story of a remarkable series of hypnosis crimes that took place in 1950s Denmark, has been picked up for a nationwide U.S. theatrical release by myCinema in fall 2019, it was announced by Etchie Stroh of Moonstone Entertainment. Directed by award-winning filmmaker and documentarian Arto Halonen, the film stars Josh Lucas (Ford v Ferrari; Sweet Home Alabama; A Beautiful Mind) in the role of a notorious criminal and master of mind control that represents a true departure from his usual character portrayals.

L.A.-based Moonstone Entertainment, who handles worldwide sales of the film, concluded the deal at the 2019 Cannes Film Market. 

A gripping and alarming exploration of the potential for hypnosis to induce individuals to commit murder or otherwise act against their will, MURDEROUS TRANCE raises as many questions as it answers. The extraordinary historical events that serve as the basis for this story ended with a criminal conviction that made its way all the way to the European Court of Human Rights. 

Filmed in a distinct post-war aesthetic on location in Denmark and Croatia, MURDEROUS TRANCE follows criminal investigator Anders Olsen (Pilou Asbæk - Game of Thrones, Ben-Hur, Ghost in the Shell) as he investigates a case in which a bank robber shoots two bank clerks before fleeing to the streets of Copenhagen with the money.  With the help of a hypnotist (Rade Šerbedžija - Downton Abbey, Mission Impossible 2, Eyes Wide Shut), Olsen discovers a deeper mystery involving mind control and the charismatic criminal Björn Schow Nielsen (Lucas) who secretly befriends the investigator's young wife, bringing the menace ever closer to the investigator.  

“MURDEROUS TRANCE brings together top screen talent in a taut, true crime thriller that will have audiences on the edge of their seats,” notes Bruce Eisen, Head of Content Acquisition for myCinema, adding, “we are thrilled to share the film with American moviegoers.”

Finnish director Arto Halonen, recipient of both the Finland Prize as well as the Humanitarian Award of the European Union, who has been celebrated for his choice of socially conscious and timely topics, noted, “The story holds great interest for us today, not only as proof of the external power of controlling the human mind but also as it focuses on the visible and invisible manipulations acting upon us and affecting us as human beings.”

Further,
MURDEROUS TRANCE has garnered the accolades and validation of several leading psychologists who are experts in the field of hypnosis, touting the film’s authenticity and contemporary relevance.  MURDEROUSTRANCE  “was scientifically accurate in how the mind can be manipulated, depicting hypnotic methods that have been used many times for many reasons, [including] for evil,” commented Tom Silver, CHT, President of the U.S. Board of Clinical Hypnosis. 

ABOUT NAGRA/MYCINEMA:

NAGRA-KUDELSKI’s myCinema solution brings the agility of the internet age to cinemas by providing an unprecedented choice of content (live music, Broadway, e-sports events, opera, ballet, and sporting events, as well as classic and independent films from a variety of genres) that can reach any screen, at any time, reducing the theatre owners CAPEX and OPEX investment. MyCinema equally enables independent content creators to reach cinema-going audiences in major theater circuits and small-town theaters by putting cinema owners and managers in control of their community's entertainment experience. 

ABOUT MOONSTONE ENTERTAINMENT

Headed by Etchie Stroh, Moonstone Entertainment has become one of the world’sleading independent film producers and distributors, known for films of high quality and commercial success.  Some of Moonstone’s films and Etchie’s producer credits include: AFTERGLOW, produced with Robert Altman and directed by Alan Rudolph, starring Nick Nolte and Julie Christie (in an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress); COOKIES FORTUNE, a Moonstone/Altman collaboration directed by Altman and starring Glenn Close, Julianne Moore, Liv Tyler, Chris O'Donnell and Charles Dutton; THE PROMISE, Etchie’s second collaboration with Palme d’Or-winning director Chen Kaige, and the largest production ever mounted in China at the time, was the Chinese Official Submission for Best Foreign Language Film for the 2006 Academy Awards  ,also o garnering a Golden Globe Nomination for Best Foreign Film in 2006. Stroh also collaborated with Chen on LEGEND OF THE DEMON CAT, recently released theatrically in the U.S. by myCinema.

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Trailer: MURDEROUS TRANCE