We are proud to announce that our parent company, Iervolino & Lady Bacardi Entertainment (ILBE), has partnered with Samuel Goldwyn Films to release director Andrew Levitas’ inspiring and gut-wrenching drama “Minamata” starring Johnny Depp, in US theaters, beginning December 15.

Minamata is a movie inspired by a chilling true story that exposes a harsh and disturbing truth. Based on the book of the same name by Aileen Mioko Smith and Eugene Smith, it takes place in 1971 when we encounter Eugene Smith, a celebrated photojournalist played by Johnny Depp, who is given an assignment to travel to the Japanese city of Minamata, a place ravaged by mercury poisoning. Fighting to uncover the truth and expose the country’s chemical company, the Chisso Corporation, he uses powerful images to share the agony of Minamata’s inhabitants with the wider world.

“Anchored by standout performances and stunning direction and craft artistry, Minamata is the kind of purposeful storytelling that sinks in with audiences and a movie they will appreciate seeing. We’re thrilled to be able to orchestrate a release campaign alongside Samuel Goldwyn that will invite audiences into this story” said Andrea Iervolino, CEO and co-founder of IES and Iervolino & Lady Bacardi Entertainment.

Written by David K. Kessler, Stephen Deuters, Andrew Levitas and Jason Forman, the movie had its World Premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival on February 21, 2020. While Minamata had been released overseas, it was unclear whether and when it would premiere in North America. Thanks to Iervolino & Lady Bacardi Entertainment and Samuel Goldwyn Films, audiences in the US will be able to see it in theaters for the first time on December 15, extending into 2022. A significant part of the movie was shot in Serbia, where it was released in theaters on September 2, 2021.

And, of course, another exciting project with Johnny Depp in the leading role will soon be available for streaming on the world’s leading platforms, with one of them being Apple TV: Our very own “Puffins Impossible” series. We had the enormous pleasure to welcome Jonny Depp here in Serbia, during the promotion of the upcoming animated series, which was created by in our studio (IES), owned by Andrea Iervolino and Lady Monika Bacardi, founders of our parent company Iervolino & Lady Bacardi Entertainment (ILBE), while the production is signed by Archangel Digital Studios (ADS), founded by Miloš Biković.