Directing

Israel Cárdenas

Born February 15, 1980 · Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico (age 46)

Israel Cárdenas is a Mexican film director, editor, cinematographer and producer based in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Cárdenas and Laura Amelia Guzmán founded Aurora Dominicana, an independent film production company.

Known For

SambáSambá · 2017
Sambá
4.72017
MovieDrama
After fifteen years in an American jail, a man returns to the Dominican Republic. As he faces family problems, he turns to illegal street fighting and is discovered by an Italian ex-boxer.
BittersweetBittersweet · 2026
Bittersweet
2026
MovieDocumentaryMusic
A coming-of-age story set in the Dominican Republic, where a group of young aspiring bachata musicians seek answers to love and life through their music. Filmed at the Academia de Bachata, the world's first bachata music school. Featuring maestro Martires de Leon, guitarist and arranger for Romeo Santos.
Bantú MamaBantú Mama · 2022
Bantú Mama
5.02022
MovieDrama
A French woman of African descent manages to escape after being arrested in the Dominican Republic. She finds shelter in the most dangerous district of Santo Domingo, where she is taken in by a group of children. By becoming their protégée and maternal figure, she will see her destiny change inexorably.
Tragic JungleTragic Jungle · 2020
Tragic Jungle
6.12020
MovieDramaMystery
Deep in the jungle, a group of Mexican gum workers crosses their path with Agnes, a mysterious Belizean woman. Her presence enlivens the fantasies and desires of those men, without knowing that they have woken up an ancient Mayan legend.
CochochiCochochi · 2007
Cochochi
5.92007
Movie
Two young indigenous brothers from the La Sierra Tarahumara region of northwest Mexico return home from Benito Juarez elementary boarding school, only to find their fates pulling them in opposite directions in director Laura Amelia Guzmán's dramatic meditation on the value of culture and the cost of progress.
Miriam LiesMiriam Lies · 2018
Miriam Lies
5.72018
MovieDrama
Shy girl Miriam is waiting to celebrate her 15th birthday and she wants to invite her guy. So far they’ve only chatted online, and the anticipated blind date only complicates things.
Sand DollarsSand Dollars · 2015
Sand Dollars
5.82015
MovieDrama
Every afternoon Noelí, a young Dominican woman, hangs out on the beach at Las Terrenas. With her boyfriend, Yeremi, they look for ways to make a living at the expense of one of the hundreds of tourists there. However Noelí also has a steady client, Anne, a much older French woman, who, like many other Europeans, has found an idyllic refuge on the island to spend her last years. For Noelí, the relationship is one of convenience, but the feelings become more intense as they plan to leave together for Paris.
Jean GentilJean Gentil · 2012
Jean Gentil
5.02012
MovieDrama
Jean Remy is a Haitian man struggling to find employment in Dominican Republic. Confronted with rejection and discrimination in the city, he sets off to try his luck in the countryside. Imbued with a naturalistic grace, this deeply sympathetic portrait speaks eloquently to the trials of humanity.

Filmography

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CarmitaCarmita · 2013
Carmita
5.32013
MovieDocumentary
Nearly half a century ago, Carmen Ignarra arrived to Mexico after leaving behind her Cuban homeland, in the hopes of becoming the greatest Caribbean actress in Hollywood. But the American dream tur- ned out to be more difficult than she’d thought, and her brief initial success was followed by a slow, painful decline. Today, at 80, the woman who was once Cuba’s most beautiful actress lives totally forgotten in an old mansion in Monterrey. There she survives thanks to her tenants—strange men who she is constantly blaming for mysterious thefts and disappearances. Laura, a young woman also from the Caribbean, arrives at the mansion to work as an assistant in cleaning and housekeeping. With her she brings a video camera and the secret intention of making a documentary about the diva. Together they talk about the past, about wasted talent and lost loves.

Director