Besides the variety of film program, Mediterranean Film Festival also satisfies appetites of the audience in the off program, which is reserved for relaxation after the screenings. The band “The Minnesota Voodoo Men“, which is one of the main actors in the documentary film “Tsunami Attack (The power of Rock n' Roll)”, directed by Mario Ćižić, is coming from Tokyo to the 14^th MFF. The band has existed since 1998 and has three members. Yusaka - guitar and vocal of the band, says that their genre baseline is the music of the 60ies, garage, British beat and surf music.

They have promoted their strong garage sound all over Europe and Japan on the tours together with the bands like Jackie and the Cedricks, The Mummies, Saturns, The Neatbeats, Gazoline    and with the most famous among the anonymous, all female trio The 5,6,7,8’s that Tarantino included on the soundtrack of Kill Bill Volume 1.  

How did you get into Mario’s film, or was it vice versa?

We’ve met through Cyril who plays bass in the band. He played in Mario’s previous film “Enter the Void od Gaspar Noe” and film “THE SWAP”. We became very good friends and Mario did some of our live videos. When we worked on the project in Fukushima after tsunami, an idea for the film was born and Mario started with us.

At the beginning of this year you were in Croatia, also with the film “Tsunami Attack (The power of Rock n' Roll)”?

Yes, we had the premiere in Vinkovci at DORF, and Cyril and I played with the band “Welcomin’ Committee in Flames” from Zagreb, and the audience accepted us well. The whole band “The Minnesota Voodoo Men“comes to B&H and we’re looking forward to that because of Mario’s impressions and stories. 

The director of the film, Mario Ćužić, who we had the chance to meet at last year’s MFF through his film “Rock the Quake”, says that he’s very proud of this cooperation and points out positive reactions that they had in Japan, where people accepted this film very well.

The band “The Minnesota Voodoo Men“, as well as I, are so proud of the film that we’ll publish and sell in Japan after we return, and the revenues will be for humanitarian purposes. For now, film was screened at the festival in Columbia and DORF in Croatia, where it had good critics.

What can we expect from “The Minnesota Voodoo Men“?

The guitar player Yusuke is renowned guitar player in the underground scene. The audience at the Mediterranean Film Festival can expect good energy. Yusuke likes to get on top pf the bar and walk on the tables while he plays. I can guarantee you that you haven’t seen a live show of this kind. The guys are very friendly and it’ll be a lot of fun. I think this is the first Japanese Rock ’n’ Roll band in history that has a concert in B&H.

Mario, Yusuka, what after MFF?

This is the third time that we play in Europe. Unfortunately, we won’t be able to stay till the end of the Festival because we’re going on our European tour that starts in Frankfurt on the 31^st. We’re playing in Italy, France and Spain, says Yusaka whose performance we’ll see on Thursday, 29^th of August in café Start Pajo.

Mario, who originates from Višići near Čapljina stays with us during the entire Festival and adds that this Festival has special charm for him after last year, when his grandma and half of the village came to the premiere of his film at MFF.

As his film road is concerned, he said that he has one more Rock ‘n’ Roll documentary that he’s been shooting for a year and a half, and together with Cyril he writes a scenario for a feature film. After MFF he’ll continue with other projects.