Event Cinema
Minamata Film Screening | Minamata COP-5 Special Event
29 Oct 2023
18:15–21:00
Venue: CICG | Room A
Organization: Minamata Convention on Mercury, Geneva Environment Network
The screening of the film Minamata is a special event to the fifth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Minamata Convention on Mercury (COP-5), taking place in Geneva from 30 October to 3 November 2023.
About the Film
War photographer W. Eugene Smith travels back to Japan where he documents the devastating effect of mercury poisoning in coastal communities in the 1970s.
At the time, many people in Minamata in southwest Japan, were suffering from this serious neurological disease having eating seafood contaminated with mercury from waste waters that a local company had discharged into the Minamata Bay for decades. The severe and widespread health damage from this pollution, at times leading to death, was also tragically passed from mothers to their unborn children.
Minamata premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival, in February 2020.
Director | Andrew Levitas
Written By | David K. Kessler, Stephen Deuters, Andrew Levitas, Jason Forman
Producers | Sam Sarkar, Bill Johnson, Gabriella Tana, Kevan Van Thompson, David K. Kessler, Zach Avery, Andrew Levitas, Johnny Depp
Cast | Johnny Depp, Hiroyuki Sanada, Jun Kunimura, Minami, Ryo Kase, Tadanobu Asano, Akiko Iwase, Bill Nighy
Language | English
Runtime | 115 min
Trailer
About this Event
The screening of the film Minamata is a special event to the fifth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Minamata Convention on Mercury (COP-5). The film Director Andrew Levitas, the Minamata Convention on Mercury Promotion Network (MICO NET) – a citizens’ network that aims to support active implementation of the Minamata Convention on mercury and to promote lessons of Minamata Disease – and the Minamata Convention Executive Secretary joined a short panel discussion presenting the film and its context at this special event, which preceded by a light reception.
Minamata COP-5
The fifth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Minamata Convention on Mercury (COP-5) will take place in Geneva from 30 October to 3 November 2023. As part of the preparation for the meeting, online events took place from 9 to 13 October 2023, the week marking the 10th anniversary of the adoption of the Minamata Convention, on 10 October 2013 → Find more information on the official website.
Speakers
Andrew LEVITAS
Filmmaker and Professor, Minamata Film Director
Monika STANKIEWICZ
Executive Secretary, Minamata Convention Secretariat
Hideki SATO
Chairman, Minamata Disease Mutual Aid Society | Minamata Convention on Mercury Promotion Network (MICO NET)
Suemi SATO
Member of Minamata Disease Mutual Aid Society | Minamata Convention on Mercury Promotion Network (MICO NET)
Highlights
Video
Panel discussion live from CICG.
Live on Facebook
Gallery
Photos from the Minamata COP-5, including of this event, are available on the official Minamata Convention Flickr account.