I Am Berta
Yo Soy Berta
Director: Katia Lara
Honduras | 2022 | Lenca, Garifuna, and Spanish with English subtitles | 136 min
View IN-PERSON at The Cinematheque: Tues, Aug 30, 3:45pm
Hours before her assassination, Indigenous leader and environmental activist Berta Cáceres wrote down the names of those aiming to kill her. Using these clues, her friends and family seek to find the perpetrators.
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. – Director Katia Lara
Horas antes de su asesinato, la líder indígena Berta Cáceres anotó los nombres de los intereses corruptos que pretenden asesinarla. Usando estas pistas, el documental junta las piezas del rompecabezas para ayudar a Berta a resolver su propio asesinato.
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).