Objective Camera, Subjective Truth (1975)

"Life" Magazine photographer-photojournalist W. Eugene Smith and his Japanese wife Aileen talk with photo magazine editor James Hughes and writer William Pierce and show many of the famous pictures Smith took which established the scandal in Minamata, Japan. Fish poisoning caused by chemical dumping by the Chiso Factory caused mysterious diseases, birth deformities, and serious physiological defects in large numbers of villagers who lived by the sea and ate the fish. Chiso and the Japanese government tried to deny the facts and stop an investigation. The Smiths persevered and brought the story to worldwide notice. After many difficulties the victims were compensated. Smith himself was severely beaten in one of the demonstrations that turned violent. Smith's Minamata photographs established a new standard for photojournalism.