Experiencing Interruptions?

I Am Berta

Hours before her assassination, indigenous leader Berta Cáceres wrote down the names of the corrupt interests aiming to kill her. Using these clues, the documentary puts together the puzzle pieces to help Berta solve her own murder.

  • Katia Lara
    Director
  • Katia Lara
    Writer
  • Katia Lara
    Producer
  • Sam Vinal
    Producer
  • Milton Benítez
    Producer
  • Sky Richards
    Cinematographer
  • Gabriel Alvarenga
    Cinematographer
  • Gastón Sáenz
    Direct soud
  • Erick Vargas
    Direct soud
  • Axel Muñoz Barba
    Direct soud
  • Koki Ortega
    Editor
  • Sky Richards
    Camera
  • Isaac Gutiérrez
    Camera
  • Gabriel Alvarenga
    Camera
  • Jesee Freston
    Camera
  • Gerardo Aguilar
    Camera
  • Gerardo Kalmar
    Direction and soud mix
  • Pablo Orzeszko
    Direction and soud mix
  • Juan Manuel Casolati
    Colorist
  • Lalo Rojas
    Score
  • Valeria Godoy
    Animation and graphic design
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Runtime:
    2 hours 15 minutes 36 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    March 10, 2022
  • Production Budget:
    470,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Honduras
  • Country of Filming:
    Honduras, Mexico, United States
  • Language:
    Spanish
  • Shooting Format:
    HD y 4K
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
Director Biography - Katia Lara

Katia Lara is a member of the Network of Latin America and Caribbean Documentarians 21st Century – EnDocXXI. Her works have been recommended by film critic Jean-Christophe Berjon. She is recognized amongst the 29 Latin American directors in the book Road-book of Latin American Film (2017) by curator, critic and film professor Pedro Zurita. She is the founder and general manager of Terco Producciones and has taught filmmaking especially through workshops since 2003.
Katia studied Graphic Arts in her country of origin, Graphic Communication in Mexico and Film Directing at the Film School at Eliseo Subiela in Argentina. She began making documentaries in Mexico in the 80s as a film editor of emblematic documentaries about the war in El Salvador. She has worked as news editor for networks including Notimex, Imevisión and CNN. In the 90s she did advertising in El Salvador and in 2002 she returned to her country to found her own production company. She has been selected by Cinergia, Gotebögr, Berlinale Talent Campus, Typa, BoiviaLab, Guadalajara Talent Campus, Cinemaissí, Carabana de cine árabe – iberoamericano de mujeres, Biarritz, Toulouse, Mar del Plata, DocsDF, Festival del Nuevo Cine Latinoamericano, FICiP, Amiens, FICG amongst others. Her film highlights include: De larga distancia (2000), Corazón abierto (2005), Quién dijo miedo, honduras de un golpe… (2010), Margarita Murillo (2015) and Berta Vive (2016).

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Director Statement

On March 1st, 2016 I met with Berta to plan one more shooting trip to the Gualcarque River. The next day she was assassinated. I still have the notebook where I noted the interests that were conspiring against her. Every one of Berta’s words on that day compels us to bring this story forward.

I have the privilege of having known Berta well. Our grandmothers are cousins, both from Intibucá, but it is not family ties that link me with her; it is the struggle against the project consolidated in Honduras during the 2009 coup d’état, which sought to sell off our territory at any price. Moreover, former “president” Juan Orlando Hernández (a character in the documentary) will be extradited to the United States next week, accused of drug trafficking.

Without a doubt, of all the films I have undertaken, this is the one for which I feel the greatest sense of responsibility. It has also brought our team the most persecution, harassment and threats. This is especially true for Milton, who has had to renew his protective measures from the Inter-American Human Rights Commission. We are afraid, but we decided to stay in Honduras, just as Berta did. We are sure that the international reach of this cinematic work will also serve as protection for the Lenca community and those of us following the case.

The project began with Berta Vive/Berta Lives (2016), a short film created in just six months, which won prizes in international festivals (special mention in the Guadalajara International Film Festival – FIGC-32) and is circulating in translation into six languages.

I began as a documentary filmmaker 33 years ago in Mexico as a film editor and now, I have the privilege of being able to bring to life a work whose beauty and force will help prevent future deaths.

During that meeting with Berta, we imagined together the aerial shots from above the river and that, tragically, Berta was never able to see. They killed a sister, a character in the documentary that we were working on. Her assassination compels me to face the challenge of producing a brave documentary, one worthy of Berta.

Katia Lara