Ismael Rodríguez is known as “the people’s filmmaker”. When he was nine years old, he immigrated with his family to Los Angeles California, where his older brothers, Roberto and Joselito, had developed a synchronized sound system. The brothers returned to Mexico to work on the film Santa (1931) directed by Antonio Moreno. Ismael played a small role in the film. After working various technical jobs, Rodríquez directed his first feature ¡Qué lindo es Michoacán! (1942). He then founded, along with his brothers, the successful production company Películas Rodríguez. Considered one of the most popular filmmakers in the history of Mexican cinema, Rodríguez worked extensively with Pedro Infante, directing him in 16 films, among them, the “comedias rancheras” Los tres García (1946) and Vuelven los García (1946), and the urban melodramas Nosotros los pobres (1947), Ustedes los ricos (1948), and Pepe El Toro (1952) – a trilogy which remains a consecrated classic of Mexican cinema. Besides obtaining numerous national and international awards, Ismael Rodríguez was awarded the Ariel for lifetime achievement in 1992.
Festival Internacional de Cine de Morelia
