New York, 1971. Eugene Smith (Johnny Depp), once a highly sought-after photographer, now lives as a recluse who prefers to stare into the bottom of his liquor bottle. But then an unexpected trip to the Japanese city of Minamata, where an unscrupulous corporation has been releasing untreated wastewater into the bay, brings new meaning to his life. Produced by Depp himself and finding firm ground in his persuasive performance, this drama speaks of the courage required to fight injustice, while considering the boundaries of journalistic ethics and much else besides.
New York, 1971. Eugene Smith (Johnny Depp), once a highly sought-after photographer, now lives as a recluse who prefers to stare into the bottom of his liquor bottle. Although his WWII reports captivated the world, his glory faded a long time ago. But then an unexpected trip to the Japanese city of Minamata, where an unscrupulous corporation has been releasing untreated wastewater into the bay, brings new meaning to his life. Produced by Depp himself and finding firm ground in his persuasive performance, this drama speaks of the courage required to fight injustice, while considering the boundaries of journalistic ethics and much else besides. It also looks back to a time when we knew precious little about climate change – a time when the desire to tackle environmental issues was even less widespread than it is today.
Martin Horyna
115 min / Color, Black & White, DCP
Director Andrew Levitas
/ Screenplay David K. Kessler, Stephen Deuters, Andrew Levitas, Jason Forman
/ Dir. of Photography Benoît Delhomme
/ Music Ryūichi Sakamoto
/ Editor Nathan Nugent
/ Art Director Tom Foden
/ Producer Sam Sarkar, Kevan Van Thompson, Andrew Levitas, Johnny Depp
/ Production Metalwork Pictures
/ Coproduction Infinitum Nihil
/ Cast Johnny Depp, Hiroyuki Sanada, Minami, Bill Nighy, Jun Kunimura, Ryo Kase, Tadanobu Asano, Akiko Iwase, Katherine Jenkins
/ Sales HanWay Films
Andrew Levitas (1977, New York City). Filmography: Lullaby (2014), Minamata (2020).
HanWay Films
8 Basing Street, W11 1ET, London
United Kingdom
Phone: +44 207 290 0750
E-mail: [email protected]
Johnny Depp
Actor / Producer / Musician
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