Minamata (2020)
Based on the book by Aileen Mioko Smith and W. Eugene Smith, Minamata (2020) is a powerful biographical drama directed by Andrew Levitas. It features Johnny Depp (also producer) as W. Eugene Smith, an American photographer renowned for his World War II photojournalism. The film focuses on his assignment to Minamata, Kumamoto, where he witnesses the devastating effects of mercury poisoning on the locals due to industrial negligence by the Chisso Corporation. Premiering at the Berlin International Film Festival in February 2020, it was later released in the US by Samuel Goldwyn Films on February 11, 2022. In New York City, circa 1971, Smith is struggling with his career and has become reclusive until Life magazine editor Robert Hayes offers him a secret commission to report on Minamata’s situation. There, he becomes fully immersed in the community and their fight for recognition from Chisso and the Japanese government while documenting their struggles living with Minamata Disease. This gripping story earned third place in the Oscars Fan Favorite contest at the 94th Academy Awards in 2022.
Equipped with his trusted camera, Smith’s images of the toxic village provide a poignant human element to the disaster at hand. What started as a routine assignment for the renowned American photographer W. Eugene Smith, known for his published photo essays in Life Magazine, soon becomes a life-changing journey. In 1971, despite his fame, Smith had become reclusive. It takes the passionate Japanese translator Aileen, while working on a separate project with Smith, to convince him to visit Minamata and capture the devastating effects of mercury poisoning and Minamata disease in coastal communities. This illness is a result of industrial pollution caused by Chisso, a chemical company notorious for its greed and collaboration with local authorities. As Smith ventures into Minamata with only his trusty Minolta camera facing off against such power, he must gain the trust of the shattered community and take photos that will shed light on this story for the rest of the world to see.
Date of download: 2015-11-11T17:22:34+00:00
Cast:  Johnny DeppW. Eugene Smith  Akiko IwaseMasako Matsumura  Katherine JenkinsMillie  Bill NighyRobert Hayes  MinamiAileen  Tadanobu AsanoTatsuo Matsumura  Ryô KaseKiyoshi  Hiroyuki SanadaMitsuo Yamazaki  Jun KunimuraJunichi Nojima |
Based on the book by Aileen Mioko Smith and W. Eugene Smith, Minamata (2020) is a powerful biographical drama directed by Andrew Levitas. It features Johnny Depp (also producer) as W. Eugene Smith, an American photographer renowned for his World War II photojournalism. The film focuses on his assignment to Minamata, Kumamoto, where he witnesses the devastating effects of mercury poisoning on the locals due to industrial negligence by the Chisso Corporation. Premiering at the Berlin International Film Festival in February 2020, it was later released in the US by Samuel Goldwyn Films on February 11, 2022. In New York City, circa 1971, Smith is struggling with his career and has become reclusive until Life magazine editor Robert Hayes offers him a secret commission to report on Minamata’s situation. There, he becomes fully immersed in the community and their fight for recognition from Chisso and the Japanese government while documenting their struggles living with Minamata Disease. This gripping story earned third place in the Oscars Fan Favorite contest at the 94th Academy Awards in 2022.
Equipped with his trusted camera, Smith’s images of the toxic village provide a poignant human element to the disaster at hand. What started as a routine assignment for the renowned American photographer W. Eugene Smith, known for his published photo essays in Life Magazine, soon becomes a life-changing journey. In 1971, despite his fame, Smith had become reclusive. It takes the passionate Japanese translator Aileen, while working on a separate project with Smith, to convince him to visit Minamata and capture the devastating effects of mercury poisoning and Minamata disease in coastal communities. This illness is a result of industrial pollution caused by Chisso, a chemical company notorious for its greed and collaboration with local authorities. As Smith ventures into Minamata with only his trusty Minolta camera facing off against such power, he must gain the trust of the shattered community and take photos that will shed light on this story for the rest of the world to see.
