IJS Film Screening and Discussion: Minamata

October 26, 2023

5:30PM - 8:30PM

Hagerty 180

Add to Calendar 2023-10-26 17:30:00 2023-10-26 20:30:00 IJS Film Screening and Discussion: Minamata The Institute for Japanese Studies, University Libraries, College of Public Health, Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures, Department of History, Mershon Center for International Security Studies, School of Communication, School of Earth Sciences, and Japan America Society of Central Ohio present: Minamata with Aileen Smith Executive Director, Green Action and Director Andrew Levitas Abstract: Minamata, a film drama based on the book by W. Eugene and Green Action director Aileen M. Smith, premiered on February 21st at the Berlin International Film Festival. Directed by Andrew Levitas, the film stars Johnny Depp as photographer Eugene Smith, who travels with Aileen to Japan to document the effects of mercury poisoning on the residents of a coastal community. Actors Bill Nighy, Hiroyuki Sanada and Minami play supporting roles as Life editor Robert Hayes, activist Mitsuo Yamazaki and Aileen Mioko Smith. The film screening will be followed by a discussion and Q&A session with Aileen Smith and the film's director, Andrew Levitas. This event is being held in conjunction with Aileen Smith's IJS Lecture, "My 50-Year Journey: Minamata Followed by Fukushima" on Friday, 10/27. Aileen Smith was born in Tokyo, Japan in 1950. She graduated from high school in St. Louis County, Missouri. She enrolled in Stanford in 1968, dropping out after meeting the photojournalist W. Eugene Smith in New York. Together they photographed Japan’s mercury pollution disaster in Minamata, Japan, publishing their book “MINAMATA” in 1975. (Now a Hollywood movie by the same name starring Johnny Depp as Gene.) Aileen has a masters degree in environmental science from Columbia University’s School of Public Health. She has been active in the anti-nuclear movement in Japan since the early 1980’s, after interviewing citizens around the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania. Aileen is executive director of the NGO Green Action based in Kyoto, Japan. As president of Aileen Archive she is committed to disseminating Gene’s and Aileen’s photographic work on Minamata. She is a recipient of the Nuclear-Free Future Award (2014). Hagerty 180 OSU ASC Drupal 8 ascwebservices@osu.edu America/New_York public

2023-10-26 17:30:00 2023-10-26 20:30:00 IJS Film Screening and Discussion: Minamata The Institute for Japanese Studies, University Libraries, College of Public Health, Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures, Department of History, Mershon Center for International Security Studies, School of Communication, School of Earth Sciences, and Japan America Society of Central Ohio present: Minamata with Aileen Smith Executive Director, Green Action and Director Andrew Levitas Abstract: Minamata, a film drama based on the book by W. Eugene and Green Action director Aileen M. Smith, premiered on February 21st at the Berlin International Film Festival. Directed by Andrew Levitas, the film stars Johnny Depp as photographer Eugene Smith, who travels with Aileen to Japan to document the effects of mercury poisoning on the residents of a coastal community. Actors Bill Nighy, Hiroyuki Sanada and Minami play supporting roles as Life editor Robert Hayes, activist Mitsuo Yamazaki and Aileen Mioko Smith. The film screening will be followed by a discussion and Q&A session with Aileen Smith and the film's director, Andrew Levitas. This event is being held in conjunction with Aileen Smith's IJS Lecture, "My 50-Year Journey: Minamata Followed by Fukushima" on Friday, 10/27. Aileen Smith was born in Tokyo, Japan in 1950. She graduated from high school in St. Louis County, Missouri. She enrolled in Stanford in 1968, dropping out after meeting the photojournalist W. Eugene Smith in New York. Together they photographed Japan’s mercury pollution disaster in Minamata, Japan, publishing their book “MINAMATA” in 1975. (Now a Hollywood movie by the same name starring Johnny Depp as Gene.) Aileen has a masters degree in environmental science from Columbia University’s School of Public Health. She has been active in the anti-nuclear movement in Japan since the early 1980’s, after interviewing citizens around the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania. Aileen is executive director of the NGO Green Action based in Kyoto, Japan. As president of Aileen Archive she is committed to disseminating Gene’s and Aileen’s photographic work on Minamata. She is a recipient of the Nuclear-Free Future Award (2014).       Hagerty 180 East Asian Studies Center easc@osu.edu America/New_York public

The Institute for Japanese Studies, University Libraries, College of Public Health, Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures, Department of History, Mershon Center for International Security Studies, School of Communication, School of Earth Sciences, and Japan America Society of Central Ohio present:

Minamata

with Aileen Smith
Executive Director, Green Action

and Director

Andrew Levitas

Abstract: Minamata, a film drama based on the book by W. Eugene and Green Action director Aileen M. Smith, premiered on February 21st at the Berlin International Film Festival. Directed by Andrew Levitas, the film stars Johnny Depp as photographer Eugene Smith, who travels with Aileen to Japan to document the effects of mercury poisoning on the residents of a coastal community. Actors Bill Nighy, Hiroyuki Sanada and Minami play supporting roles as Life editor Robert Hayes, activist Mitsuo Yamazaki and Aileen Mioko Smith. The film screening will be followed by a discussion and Q&A session with Aileen Smith and the film's director, Andrew Levitas.

This event is being held in conjunction with Aileen Smith's IJS Lecture, "My 50-Year Journey: Minamata Followed by Fukushima" on Friday, 10/27.

Aileen Smith was born in Tokyo, Japan in 1950. She graduated from high school in St. Louis County, Missouri. She enrolled in Stanford in 1968, dropping out after meeting the photojournalist W. Eugene Smith in New York. Together they photographed Japan’s mercury pollution disaster in Minamata, Japan, publishing their book “MINAMATA” in 1975. (Now a Hollywood movie by the same name starring Johnny Depp as Gene.) Aileen has a masters degree in environmental science from Columbia University’s School of Public Health. She has been active in the anti-nuclear movement in Japan since the early 1980’s, after interviewing citizens around the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania. Aileen is executive director of the NGO Green Action based in Kyoto, Japan. As president of Aileen Archive she is committed to disseminating Gene’s and Aileen’s photographic work on Minamata. She is a recipient of the Nuclear-Free Future Award (2014).

If you require an accommodation, such as live captioning, to participate in this event, please contact EASC at easc@osu.edu. Requests made at least two weeks in advance of the event will generally allow us to provide seamless access, but the university will make every effort to meet requests made after this date.

This event is supported by a U.S. Department of Education Title VI grant to The Ohio State University East Asian Studies Center.