bsmall2Dec 3
> "I did not choose to get Minamata disease," said Shinobu Sakamoto, 69, who has a congenital form of the illness. "I want the world to understand. The suffering has not ended."
> Depp responded by saying, "I would love to help in any way."
> The two conversed for about 15 minutes via an interpreter, with Depp expressing the desire to visit Minamata in Kumamoto Prefecture after Sakamoto urged him to do so.
https://japantoday.com/category/entertainment/johnny-depp-meets-with-minamata-victim-after-2020-film-on-pollution-case
#ShinobuSakamoto #AileenMiokoSmith #JohnnyDepp #MInamataDisease #SakamotoShinobu
Johnny Depp meets with Minamata victim after 2020 film on pollution case

Hollywood actor Johnny Depp on Tuesday met with an emblematic victim of Minamata mercury-poisoning disease while visiting Tokyo after starring in a 2020 film about the pollution case that devastated a town in southwestern Japan. "I did not choose to get Minamata disease," said Shinobu Sakamoto, 69, who has a…

Japan Today
Show threadbsmall2Dec 3
🧵 Minamata Mandala's producer Kazuo Hara spoke of the importance of place for a film. A Depp visit could inspire more Good Work? Besides, it's a beautiful place.
> According to Aileen, the film includes a scene where a woman confronts the president of the firm responsible for causing Minamata disease. This woman is modeled after Sakamoto's mother, Fujie, who died in 2019...
> The two conversed for about 15 minutes via an interpreter, with Depp expressing the desire to visit Minamata in Kumamoto Prefecture after Sakamoto urged him to do so.
#水俣 #水俣病
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> Filmed over 15 years, this epic three-part documentary by Kazuo Hara (The Emperor’s Naked Army Marches On) chronicles the history of struggle for a community in southern Japan suffering from “Minamata disease"... Both a deeply humanizing portrait of resilience and a comprehensive history of one of the worst pollution-related tragedies in human history, Minamata Mandala gives voice to the many survivors, care providers, researchers, and supporters tirelessly fighting for visibility.
https://grasshopperfilm.com/film/minamata-mandala/
#MinamataMandala #FilmAndPlace #PlaceFilm
Minamata Mandala

Grasshopper Film
Dec 3 at 12:28amWeb
Show threadbsmall2Dec 3
> One of the film’s most memorable passages, also in part three, involves #SakamotoShinobu, a Minamata patient since birth who collaborates with singer-songwriters on songs about the disease and her struggles with it. She will also come to speak, near Minamata Mandala’s end, at the court hearings. Hara’s scope proves devastating in how it displays such a range of people who’ve been affected by the disease and in so many ways...
https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/minamata-mandala-review-hara-kazuo/
#ShinobuSakamoto #水俣曼荼羅
#MinamataMandala
'Minamata Mandala' Review: An Epic Crusade for Justice

'Minamata Mandala' is a testament to how the body becomes politicized when it’s subjected to the ruinous practices of industry.

Slant Magazine
Show threadbsmall2Dec 3
🧵
> The term “mandala” in the film’s title literally means “circle” in Sanskrit, and it takes on a two-fold connotation. While the victims form a collaborative bond throughout their ordeal, the government’s hard-hearted decision-making process forms a cycle of abuse that can never be fully repaired...
> It’s an evocative, almost fable-like story, which Hara caps with shots of snow falling over orange groves. These quieter moments provide a counterpoint to the film’s numerous, heartrending #CourtroomScenes..
#MinamataFable #SacredMinamata