Minamata

Minamata is a 2020 biographical drama film directed by Andrew Levitas, based on the book of the same name by Aileen Mioko Smith and W. Eugene Smith. The film stars Johnny Depp (who also produced) as W. Eugene Smith, an American photographer who documented the effects of mercury poisoning on the citizens of Minamata, Kumamoto, Japan. The film premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival on February 21, 2020. It was released in the United States on February 11, 2022, by Samuel Goldwyn Films. At the 94th Academy Awards in 2022, the film ranked third place in the Oscars Fan Favorite contest. Plot In 1971, the American photographer W. Eugene Smith, who was famous for his numerous "photographic essays" published in Life, has become a recluse. While on a separate assignment, a passionate Japanese translator, Aileen, urges Smith to visit Minamata to photograph and document the disease. Smith is finally convinced to do his best to unmask the devastating effects of corporate greed, an accomplice of the local police and government. Smith travels to Minamata in Japan to document the devastating effect of mercury poisoning and Minamata disease in coastal communities. This disease is caused by industrial pollution linked to the activities of the chemical company Chisso. Armed with only his Minolta camera against a powerful company, Smith must win the trust of the broken community and find the images that will bring this story to the world. While there, Smith becomes the victim of severe reprisals. He is therefore urgently repatriated to the United States. However, this report will make him an icon of photojournalism. Cast Johnny Depp as W. Eugene Smith Akiko Iwase as Masako Matsumura Katherine Jenkins as Millie Bill Nighy as Robert Hayes Minami as Aileen Mioko Smith Tadanobu Asano as Tatsuo Matsumura Ryo Kase as Kiyoshi Hiroyuki Sanada as Mitsuo Yamazaki Jun Kunimura as Junichi Nojima Yosuke Hosoi as Daiki Lily Robinson as Diandra Masayoshi Haneda as Enforcer Tatsuya Hirano as Bodyguard Kenta Ogawa as Patient Shunsuke Okubo as Japanese Man Koji Ono as Company Man Bomber Hurley Smith as Chris Lee Kotaro Suzuki as Central Pollution Board Member Tatsuya Tagawa as Executive Ana Trkulja as Japanese Buddhist at Protest Ali Shams Noraei as Mr. Noraei