Andrew Levitas Interview: Minamata
Minamata is the story of famed photojournalist Gene Smith who travels down to Minamata, Japan to photograph and document the poison that mercury is causing on the coastal communities in 1971. As Smith sees the devastating effects on the people of Minamata he begins to expose the corporate corruption and greed covered up by the local police and government.
Screen Rant had the chance to speak with Minamata director Andrew Levitas about how Johnny Depp got involved in the project, the influence of Gene Smith on Levitas's own personal work, and why it was important for him to tell this story.
Related: Watch the Minamata Trailer
Screen Rant: Andrew, what an amazing job on this film. First of all, Minamata, I had no idea really about this story and by the end of this film, I was in tears when Hiroyuki Sanada was giving that final speech. I mean, it really is this sense of inspiration that you're left with at the end of this film. I know you have a photography background and I know that you were teaching at New York University. Gene Smith really captures the human spirit in his photos and I know that you're a photographer as well. Can you talk to me about Gene Smith's work, just kind of in general, and your knowledge of his work prior to the film?
Andrew Levitas: At a really young age, I recall seeing specifically the Minamata work, I may have seen other Smith work, but it didn't stick with me in that same way and at the time. It's funny because you go make a film like this and you have all this recall and it's hard to know how it all went over the years, but it stuck with me because I had seen the picture of Tomoko in the bath with her mother and I think I was 10 or 12 years old or something and I wasn't devastated by it. It
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