We’ve got our hands on the first official trailer of Minamata, the upcoming drama movie starring Johnny Depp, Bill Nighy, Minami, Hiroyuki Sanada, Tadanobu Asano, Ryo Kase and Jun Kunimura:

MINAMATAPlot synopsis:
“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.”

Nowadays there’s a trend to vilify journalism but I do believe that we live in a better world thanks to our journalists: by informing us they work for transparency and this makes for a better world in the long term. Anyway, Minamata sure looks like a great movie!

The film directed by Andrew Levitas.

No official US release date (sometime in 2021).

Update – We just spotted two film new posters:

(Click on a poster to enlarge.)

MINAMATA

let truth be the prejudice.

A film by Andrew Levitas.

:)