Oscars: ‘The Toxic Pigs of Fukushima’ Filmmaker and DP on Radiated Boars and Paying Homage to Japanese Cinema
Jazz Tangcay Artisans EditorRadiation exposure was at the forefront of cinematographer Simon Niblett’s mind as he spent time filming Otto Bell’s “The Toxic Pigs of Fukushima.” Bell, who was trying for a baby at the time, was also concerned – they carried radiation monitors.Bell’s documentary Oscar contender, “The Toxic Pigs of Fukushima,” follows a group of local hunters who have been enlisted to dispose of radiated wild boars that now roam the abandoned streets and buildings of Fukushima, Japan after a 2011 earthquake caused a nuclear meltdown.Below, Bell and Niblett spoke with Variety about filming and how drone technology helped them find and film the wild boars.Bell: I kept Simon in the dark a bit in the run-up to the shoot.