Despite having only graduated last June, John Ortiz (M.F.A. ‘24, Social Documentation) is already finding success in the film industry. His documentary, Jerhy, is in the running for a Student Academy Award. He and his film currently rank as semi-finalists in the documentary category.
Jerhy follows Ortiz as he explores the life and eventual murder of Costa Rican landback activist Jerhy Rivera. Rivera’s murder, which occurred in early 2020, came following a string of violent attacks and murders against indigenous Costa Ricans that have been on the rise over the past decade. Four years later Rivera’s death still haunts his family and people across Costa Rica.
Ortiz started drafting his ideas for the film while still in undergraduate school, but it wasn’t until he came to UC Santa Cruz that he actually began work on it. “I just became obsessed with Jerhy Rivera and why people in my country didn’t know about his death. And a lot of people don’t know that there are indigenous communities,” says Ortiz.
Ortiz grew up in Costa Rica, moving to the U.S. for college. Describing how he got to the U.S. Ortiz says: “I want to say it’s the hard work, but it's mostly luck. The luck of coming to the US with a full ride scholarship.”
While working on his degree in history, he always loved film and the idea of storytelling. “Growing up I was always very upset with the fact that all the media that we watched came from the US,” he says. “I was very much in love with film, but I always felt just a little bit heartbroken with the fact that there just wasn't anything that I could recognize from my life. And I think that set me into the path of film, and that's why I ended up in the US.”
When Ortiz started work on Jerhy he says he “wanted to feel connected to my country in some way, or support people like me in some way.” In the film he returns to Costa Rica and spends time in Térraba, where Rivera is from. Ortiz connects with Rivera’s family and the Bröran people in an exploration of Rivera’s life and legacy.
Ortiz sent his film around to various film festivals, many of which he is still waiting to hear back from. The finalists and winners of the Student Academy Awards have yet to be announced, but they will be hosting a celebration towards the end of this year. Ortiz’s work and success represents the great possibilities that have come from students both before and after him that have been part of UCSC’s renowned Social Documentation program, which is part of the Film and Digital Media department.
