Minamata (2020)

Releasing at February 5, 2021 in theaters

Drama

Minamata is drama film directed by Andrew Levitas, based on the book of the same name by Aileen Mioko Smith and Eugene Smith. The film stars Johnny Depp as Smith, an American photographer who documented the effects of mercury poisoning on the citizens of Minamata, Kumamoto, Japan.

New York, 1971. Following his celebrated days as one of the most revered photojournalists of World War II, W. Eugene Smith (Johnny Depp) has become a recluse, disconnected from society and his career. But a secret commission from Life magazine editor Robert Hayes (Bill Nighy) sends him to the Japanese coastal city of Minamata, which has been ravaged by mercury poisoning; the result of decades of gross industrial negligence by the country’s Chisso Corporation.

There, Smith immerses himself in the community, documenting their efforts to live with Minamata Disease and their passionate campaign to achieve recognition from Chisso and the Japanese government. Armed with only his trusted camera, Smith’s images from the toxic village give the disaster a heartbreaking human dimension, and his initial assignment turns into a life-changing experience.

Director: Andrew Levitas

Writers: David Kessler, Andrew Levitas, Jason Forman, Stephen Deuters

Stars: Johnny Depp, Bill Nighy, Hiroyuki Sanada, Tadanobu Asano, Katherine Jenkins, Minami, Lily Robinson

►Cast

Johnny Depp	→	W. Eugene Smith
Bill Nighy	→	Robert Hayes
Hiroyuki Sanada	→	Mitsuo Yamazaki
Tadanobu Asano	→	Tatsuo Matsumura
Katherine Jenkins	→	Millie
Minami	→	Aileen
Lily Robinson	→	Diandra
Jun Kunimura	→	Junichi Nojima
Ryô Kase	→	(as Ryo Kase)
Akiko Iwase	→	Masako Matsumura
Masayoshi Haneda	→
Kenta Ogawa	→	Patient
Yosuke Hosoi	→	Daiki
Kotaro Suzuki	→	Central Pollution Board Member
Tatsuya Hirano	→	Nojima Bodyguard#1
Koji Ono	→	Company Man
Tatsuya Tagawa	→	Executive
Bomber Hurley Smith	→	Chris Lee
Shunsuke Okubo	→	Japanese Man
Ana Trkulja	→	Japanese Buddhist at the protest