A lot of things helped make this past Oscars ceremony an infamous affair—the most innocuous being the addition of two online popularity contests seemingly devoid of any real checks and balances to prevent them from becoming a ballot-stuffing battle royale between fandoms. The Zack Snyder contingent (unsurprisingly) proved victorious with both, but there was an intriguing dark horse by way of the Johnny Depp-starring and -produced Minamata. Was it genuine? Who knows? Its third-place finish could have been as much about Depp stans seeking redemption for their beloved yet problematic celebrity post-Grindelwald firing as trolls looking to force the Academy into putting his name back onto their lips despite the film having an almost non-existent release. Either way, it’s become a circus attraction.
Director Andrew Levitas’ biopic had its festival premiere at Berlinale 2020 just as Covid was ramping up to shut down the world. From there came theatrical delays,...
Director Andrew Levitas’ biopic had its festival premiere at Berlinale 2020 just as Covid was ramping up to shut down the world. From there came theatrical delays,...
- 4/6/2022
- by Jared Mobarak
- The Film Stage
Even if you don’t know the story of heralded photographer W. Eugene Smith or the Japanese fishing village of Minamata, you are likely familiar with the photograph Tomoko and Mother in the Bath. The 1971 black-and-white photo captures Ryoko Kamimura cradling her severely deformed daughter Tomoko, a victim of Minamata disease, in a Japanese bath. The photograph was one of many featured in a 1972 issue of Life magazine depicting the horrors of the disease, a form of Mercury poisoning that was caused by industrial wastewater from the Chisso Corporation’s chemical factory. Smith and his wife, Aileen Mioko Smith, lived in the town from 1971 to 1973 to document the effects of Minamata disease.
Now the story of the Smiths and Minamata has been brought to the big screen by filmmaker Andrew Levitas, starring Johnny Depp as Smith, Minami as Aileen and Bill Nighy as Smith’s editor Robert Hayes. Smith is portrayed as a challenging artist,...
Now the story of the Smiths and Minamata has been brought to the big screen by filmmaker Andrew Levitas, starring Johnny Depp as Smith, Minami as Aileen and Bill Nighy as Smith’s editor Robert Hayes. Smith is portrayed as a challenging artist,...
- 2/7/2022
- by Jenelle Riley
- Variety Film + TV
Eugene Smith was already a renowned photojournalist for his photo essays like “Country Doctor” and his coverage of World War II. But one of his most memorable essays came near the end of his career, in the 1970s, when he and his wife Aileen M. Smith profiled the residents of the Japanese fishing village Minamata, showing the effects of mercury poisoning on residents. Perhaps the most famous work, “Tomoko Uemura in Her Bath,” portrays both the horrors of the disease, as a woman bathes her deformed daughter, but also an act of pure love.
This chapter of Smith’s story has been brought to the big screen in the new film “Minamata,” which premiered at the Berlin Film Festival on Feb. 21 and stars Johnny Depp (who also produced) as Eugene and Minami Hinase as Aileen Smith. Bill Nighy plays Smith’s editor at “Life,” while Hiroyuki Sanada takes on the...
This chapter of Smith’s story has been brought to the big screen in the new film “Minamata,” which premiered at the Berlin Film Festival on Feb. 21 and stars Johnny Depp (who also produced) as Eugene and Minami Hinase as Aileen Smith. Bill Nighy plays Smith’s editor at “Life,” while Hiroyuki Sanada takes on the...
- 3/10/2020
- by Jenelle Riley
- Variety Film + TV
The sleepy Japanese town of Minamata was the scene of one of the world’s greatest environmental disasters when it was poisoned by mercury in the 1970s. It was also the setting for a groundbreaking international treaty designed to control use of the deadly metal.
U.K. sales agent HanWay Films will use its platform at FilMart to unveil updates on “Minamata,” its drama-thriller about the celebrated photographer W. Eugene Smith. His images from the toxic town gave the eco-disaster a heartbreaking human dimension, and put reckless big business on front pages around the world.
Johnny Depp stars as Smith, a colorful character who was a celebrated WWII photographer and later became close to jazz great Thelonious Monk. Smith ventured to Minamata near the end of his life, accompanied by his Japanese wife Aileen Mioko Smith.
“At that point, Gene [Smith] was about to give up. He wasn’t sure it was worth it,...
U.K. sales agent HanWay Films will use its platform at FilMart to unveil updates on “Minamata,” its drama-thriller about the celebrated photographer W. Eugene Smith. His images from the toxic town gave the eco-disaster a heartbreaking human dimension, and put reckless big business on front pages around the world.
Johnny Depp stars as Smith, a colorful character who was a celebrated WWII photographer and later became close to jazz great Thelonious Monk. Smith ventured to Minamata near the end of his life, accompanied by his Japanese wife Aileen Mioko Smith.
“At that point, Gene [Smith] was about to give up. He wasn’t sure it was worth it,...
- 3/19/2019
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
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