Description
The 20th Anniversary of the Wentus Blues Band from Finland was celebrated in Helsinki at the Alexander Theatre, originally built by Russian Czar Alexander II. The show, sweetened by various special guests, surely satisfied the Blues needs of performers and audience alike. The whole atmosphere was reminiscent of Martin Scorsese’s “The Last Waltz” – a film that studied the giant concert given by The Band and superstar guests in San Francisco in 1976.
The show featured an impressive line-up of rock and blues legends, such as Eddie Kirkland, Louisiana Red and Lazy Lester, ex-Rolling Stone Mick Taylor, Kim Wilson from the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Omar Dykes from Omar & The Howlers, Barrence Whitfield – a real rocker in the savage style of Little Richard, Sven Zetterberg and Clas Yngström from Sweden and the great Eric Bibb. All of the above-mentioned guests have a long history with the Wentus Blues Band.
Family Meeting was filmed by the director Heikki Kossi, who gathered the best of filmmakers in Finland: Pro´s that has worked with legendary filmmakers like Aki Kaurismäki and Klaus Härö.
The Film tells a unique story about people behind music and it is about the family meeting of these musicians, where cotton and potato fields, joy, tolerance, and above all the immortal, shared moments within the Blues are intertwined. It’s a delicious mash-up of backstage life and passionate stage performances.
Family Meeting is an excellent musicdocumentary that will have its Cinema release in Scandinavia this year.
It was a once in a life-time happening, a definite milestone, a stop on the road. Down the road we had met a lot of people who´s work we always had been admiring. We have always felt a strong relationship to these people. Like they have always been there, as a part of us, like a family. The 20 years of keeping a band together needed a celebration; a gathering, a Family meeting..
– Wentus Blues Band –
“The best rockmusic-documentary ever made in Finland.”
– Janne Haavisto, Producer and legendary drummer
The Film will be shown on Filmfestivals all over the world in 2008 and 2009. Many TV-stations has also showed an interest, SVT, YLE confirmed, NRK, ARTE and BBC tbc..
