Fernando De Fuentes

Vocation

Notable

Family

Mexican film director, considered a pioneer in the film industry worldwide. Described as "the Mexican John Ford" by the New York Times, Fernando de Fuentes was by far the most talented filmmaker of early Mexican sound cinema. He is perhaps best known for directing the films El prisionero trece (1933), El compadre Mendoza (1933), and Vámonos con Pancho Villa (1936), all part of his Revolution Trilogy on the Mexican Revolution. His Alla en el Rancho Grande (1936), which became one of the greatest hits in the history of Mexican cinema, developed a complete new film genre, the 'comedia ranchera.' This film was awarded the Medalla al Mérito Cinematográfico by the Mexican President General Lázaro Cárdenas. Alla en el Rancho Grande also won first place at the Venice Film Festival in 1938. It was the first International award won by a Mexican film. His filmography covers almost all the different genres from drama, comedy, horror, family, historical, to classics and documentaries. He married Magdalena Reyes Moran in San Antonio, Texas in 1919. They had two children, Magdalena and Fernando. Fernando de Fuentes died on 4 July 1958 in Mexico City, aged 63. Link to Wikipedia biography