Eduardo Rosenberg Photo: JWP Production

The story behind Rodrigo Rosenberg‘s death in 2009 became quite a controversial story in Guatemala, as well as internationally. The film tells the story of this wealthy Guatemalan lawyer, who recorded a video accusing the then president of the country of his death. Said video was uploaded to YouTube, and Rosenberg was found dead shortly after recording the video. The ensuing story is one of denial, corruption, conspiracies, and more. This is where I Will Be Murdered helps in understanding the complexity of the story.

During the film’s premiere at Hot Docs, I was able to sit down and talk about the film with director Justin Webster. Here are some highlights of our very interesing conversation.

HM: How did you become interested in this story?

Justin Webster: I’m British but I live in Spain, and I’ve also worked a lot in Latin America. I’m also part of a Spanish production company. This came about because I’ve made films about similar subjects. When Nick Fraser, a comissioning editor we work with a lot, came across the story and sent it to me. It’s a story that is stranger than fiction… If you’re passionate about non-fiction, it’s a tremendous challenge. It surprises you. But at the same time it’s more revealing. I like to come to all films with an open mind. In this case, the story had already been reported, so I read quite a lot about it. I was trying to find out if what I read was true.This is a tremendous story.

HM: After hearing about the story and the investigation, how soon did you travel to Guatemala and who did you approach first?

JW: I went about 4-5 months after reading about the story first to do some research, to talk to the Rosenberg family, and see if it was possible to make a fim. I spoke to two people, who ended up being the main two narrators of the story. I spoke to Carlos Castrosana (who could tell me about the investigation)… just to find out if the whole thing was true or not. The next person was Eduardo Rosenberg because I could see that he was really close to his father. He’d almost step into the shoes of his father; so he was going to help with the difficulties in telling this story.

HM: How long did it take to bring some of the other key players involved in the making of the film?

JW: It took a year. And I’m delighted and amazed to get so many people. Of course, it wasn’t fast. It was a matter of gaining their trust. They have very different opinions about what happened. The only way to do it was to say that I wanted to do justice to the story. And I think everybody felt that was true. Now that they’ve seen [the film], and they don’t agree, they still respect the spirit in which the film was made. This is still comforting.

HM : Did things about the story surprise you, the way it may surprise some audiences?

JW: Yes, definitely. It’s an unfathomable story around impunity, and it’s a universal story through an unusual person. I think Rodrigo is a tragic person. Through [the story] I learned an awful lot about Guatemala.

HM: The film is somewhat reflective of what’s been going in Guatemala for so long. There is no real resolution… How would you try to address that?

JW: Good point. Some people say it’s like a thriller or a fiction film, but it doesn’t have a neat resolution at the end (as in a fiction film). Personally, I think this is the best way to tell it. I don’t think it should have any resolution… but as you say, I don’t think it is resolved at all. I think the whole question of truth and justice in Guatemala is still an open case. And I think this story tells you a lot about the things that Guatemala is going through and still has to face up to.

This story definitely raises some very interesting questions. Here is a clip of the Q&A sessions from the premiere screening at Hot Docs.

Webster also shared with me that the film was screened in Guatemala, for a wider audience, at the International Film Festival of Memory Truth and Justice (Muestra de Cine Internacional Memoria Verdad Justicia). The film created some strong reactions at this screening, both positive and negative. The film will now make its way to other festivals. It will also be televised in Spain, Mexico, and other European countries. It’s great to see the film receiving great attention; especially because it will add to the ongoing dialogue of the situation in Guatemala.