Staging the life, legacy, and assassination of Jerhy Rivera, an indigenous leader and reclaiming ancestral lands from the Térraba community in southern Puntarenas, drove John Ortiz to bring the documentary “JERHY” to life, which is now available to watch in Costa Rica.
Ortiz, a film director and editor, a graduate of UWC Costa Rica and currently based in Los Angeles, California, decided to tell this story to denounce the violence against indigenous communities in Costa Rica, as well as the impunity surrounding the case.
To achieve this, he conducted the research and production with the support of Elides and Isabel Rivera, Jerhy’s aunts, as well as Pablo Síbar and community members from Crun Shurin, Crun Dbön, and San Andrés de Térraba.
The short film was nominated as a finalist in the documentary category of the Student Academy Awards and has been selected to be screened at DOC NYC, one of the largest documentary film festivals in the United States.
“I started working on this project in 2020, shortly after learning about the death of Jerhy Rivera.” The murder of Sergio Rojas a year earlier had severely tarnished the peaceful and democratic image I had of Costa Rica, and the news of Jerhy’s murder finally shattered this fantasy,” Ortiz commented.
The production stands out for including key and revealing moments, also serving as a window that turns the audience into witnesses of the tireless strength and resilience that the Bröran have shown in their fight to reclaim their lands.
Alarming racism
One of the most shocking moments of the short film is the confession of Juan Eduardo Varela Rojas about the murder of Jerhy Rivera, made in the presence of the Vice Minister of Peace of Costa Rica and backed by applause from the attendees, which reflects alarming racism, Ortiz highlighted.
The biggest challenge in making the documentary was the scarcity of archival material about Jerhy, which required months of exhaustive searching for any visual or audio records.
The premiere of the documentary will take place at the Ícaro Film Festival. Additionally, a screening is being organized in Térraba for November 4th.
Showings
Saturday November 2nd
Sala de Arte Cinépolis
Terramall
4:30 p.m.
Sunday November 3rd
Sala de Arte Cinépolis
Terrazas Lindora
4:30 p.m.
