Félix J. Rodríguez

Biography

The film director, Félix Joaquín Rodríguez, nationally recognized for the silent film Alma provinciala, was born in Chima, Santander in 1897, a date that coincides with the first public cinema screening in the country. With the dream of settling in the United States, when he was very young he left his house, and in the company of his brother embarked on the Magdalena River to the city of Barranquilla, and then to Panama. Some time after their journey, the Rodríguez brothers settled in the city of San Francisco, California, and there the young Félix was able to participate as a movie extra, cable charger and in countless activities related to the nascent film industry. With all his savings invested in a movie projector and some movies, he returned to the country and settled in El Socorro, Santander, where he rented one of the halls of the Manuela Beltrán Theater, to dedicate himself to showing movies in this municipality and other cities. from Cundinamarca, Boyacá and Santander. Later, he settled in Bogotá and began his studies at the Universidad Libre, where he obtained a law degree. In the mid-twenties, at the age of 28, he wrote, directed, did the camera, designed, built scenery and lighting, and even revealed a second print himself and completed his great project Alma provincialana (1926), considered the eighth feature film in the history of Colombian cinema, along with Bajo el cielo antioqueño (1927), Conquistadors de almas (1925), El amor, el deber y el muerte (1926), Como los muertos (1925) and Garras de oro ( 1927). Thanks to his wife Clementina Pedraza, it is known that he wrote the book of stories Chingalo and some works for theater; among them, Heart of the land, Love of the country and With the name of Isabel on the lips.