Source ukeleleboy
“Before I went to death row, I believed in death penalty”
Enrique Murciano will star the adaptation of the convicted to death
penalty’s experience, that spent five years and a half, waiting to
be executed.
LAURA TUR
During five years and a half, Joaquín José Martínez was convicted to
death penalty accused of killing the son of a Miami’s sheriff, a
crime he never did. Memories of a convicted, the movie was announced
yesterday in the IFF (Ibiza Film Festival), tells the trip of self
discovery, this young man was forced to do, as he stayed in prison.
Q: Your experience in the death row is finally becoming a movie.
What’s your opinion?
A: When I left the death row, I was very exciting about this project
and being able to tell the story, but I lost it because much people
wanted to give it a morbid point of view of what happened to me,
rather than telling my version.
Q: How you describe your life in the death row?
A: Your life changes a lot and you get used to an unbearable
routine. Every day I got up at five in the morning, with no
exception, and I had lunch every day at the same time. For five
years I didn’t watch the rain. I listened to it but I wasn’t able to
feel it. When I got out, the first time it rained, I just wanted to
leave the rain over me. Today, I appreciate everything that happens
in my life and the little details.
Q: Tell us about your meeting with the Director, Leonardo de Armas
and the producer, Maximino Martínez.
A: I was working at Maximino’s firm, as traducer and thanks to him,
this project will be released. They gave me the chance of work and
they encouraged me to tell my story in a movie. After that, he
introduced me to Leonardo de Armas and we agreed he was the perfect
Director to tell such a complicated story like this one. Maxi and
Leo convinced me one year ago, during Toronto Film Festival.
Q: Who actor you’d like to play you in this movie?
A: If I could chose, I’d like Javier Bardem or Gael García Bernal.
Here you can find great actors to performance this role. But it’s
almost confirmed that the main star will be Enrique Murciano
(Without a Trace)
Q: How did you feel the support from the people at those moments?
A: Before I got into the death row, I thought I had lots of friends.
But then, I lost absolutely everybody. Then, noticing the support of
journalists, some of them became the true pillars of my life. Right
now, I don’t have any friend from before. The journalists helped me
with an absolute passion in my story and very special the people
from Balears. I got lot of support from here.
Q: What’s the aim of this movie?
A: I think there is much people that need this story to be told to
understand and know that there’s still Spanish people in the world
convicted to death. They also deserve the help and effort done with
my case. It’s very hard to get out of the death row. It’s almost a
miracle and people must understand. Justice went against me. In a
state like Florida, and the accusation against me, you’re executed
without delay.
Q: Much people doesn’t know the penitentiary situation in the US, so
this could be well explained...
A: Well, lots of things are going to change with Obama’s
Administration. Guantánamo, for instance. Before getting into the
death row, I saw very positive the death penalty. I was educated
like that and I believed in blind justice. I watched in the TV,
convicted people for 20 years in the death row and thought ‘I’d
killed them right now’, I was like that before. At school, you learn
the death is the solution to the criminality in the US. That wheel
of hatred, economic interests and revenge must stop. I hope to see
the end of death penalty.