Narrator: Soichi Ito. Originally produced as a documentary in 1975. "Minamata Series, Part II"--Container. Title of the booklet: The documentaries of Noriaki Tsuchimoto; title of the leaflet: Noriaki Tsuchimoto's The Shiranui Sea. Bonus features include interviews with Noriaki Tsuchimoto: Noriaki Tsuchimoto on documentary film.
Contents:
Receiving compensation. Daily life at Meisuien -- Fish in the rich sea -- The system of recognizing victims -- Receiving compensation.
Summary:
In Shiranuikai, the fourth in a series of independent documentaries that Tsuchimoto made of the mercury poisoning incident in Minamata, Japan, Tsuchimoto focuses on the everyday lives of the victims of mercury poisoning. The fishermen in villages by Shinanui Sea (also known as Yatsushiro Sea) still practice traditional fishing techniques and knowingly catch and eat the mercury-laden fish because that is what they have always done and that is how they relate to nature. After winning court cases and receiving compensation from Chisso, the polluter, victims face the rest of their lives with the irreversible damage of their disease, in contrast to the inhabitants of several islands in Shiranui Sea where no serious medical intervention has occurred despite the fact that a medical examination detected a high concentration of mercury in the hair of a deceased resident. The film also particularly focuses on young patients infected prenatally who receive care at Meisuien, the clinic especially for Minamata disease patients, as well as explores the growing number of unidentified victims, poisoned in the same way, from across the bay of the Shiranui Sea.
Series:
The Documentaries of Noriaki Tsuchimoto Minamata series ; part II
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