Los Cenzontles’ founder Eugene Rodriguez receives Icon Award @ Poppy Jasper Film Festival // Hollister
The festival will premiere documentary, Bird of Four Hundred Voices,
based on the Eugene Rodriguez memoir.
Monday, April 13th, 2026 at 5pm.
Granada Theater, in Hollister, California.
About award and film:
The Poppy Jasper International Film Festival presents Mexico y Tú, a day celebrating “Latinx voices in film, food, and culture.”
Eugene’s memoir documentary Bird of Four Hundred Voices will screen at 5pm, followed, at 8pm, by his reception of the Festival’s Icon Award.
Described by the Festival as one of its highest honors, the award recognizes artists whose work, leadership, and influence have made a lasting impact on the industry and on creative communities.
The 20th Annual Poppy Jasper International Film Festival will honor Eugene Rodriguez, founder and director the East Bay’s Los Cenzontles Cultural Arts Academy, with its Icon Award.
Described by Festival organizers as one of their highest recognitions, the Icon Award celebrates artists whose work, leadership, and influence have made a lasting impact on the industry and on creative communities.
The award presentation will follow the 5pm festival premiere of Bird of Four Hundred Voices, a new documentary by James Hall based on Eugene’s life and work as told in his 2024 memoir of the same name. The screening and award ceremony are part of the festival’s Mexico y Tú day, celebrating Mexican voices in film, food, and culture.
Video: BIRD OF FOUR HUNDRED VOICES TRAILER:
Biography:
For decades, Rodriguez has been a vital force in arts education, cultural preservation, and community-based performance, shaping Los Cenzontles into a nationally recognized home for intergenerational music-making, storytelling, and creative expression. The mission of Los Cenzontles is to amplify the voices of Mexican Americans through its innovative arts education programming, performance of traditional music and dance, cross-cultural collaborations, and first voice media production including 35 music albums, over 20 documentary films, and hundreds of videos.
“I am surprised and honored to be presented with the Icon Award,” said Rodriguez. “This recognition speaks to the extraordinary work of many wonderful community members of Los Cenzontles for nearly 40-years.”
About Los Cenzontles:
Since 1989, Los Cenzontles (Nahuatl for “the mockingbirds”) have made a name for themselves among music aficionados across the US and in Europe creating roots music, cross-cultural projects, collaborating on record and live with David Hidalgo, Linda Ronstadt, Jackson Browne, Ry Cooder, Los Lobos, Taj Mahal, and The Chieftains, among others. Their media productions have been broadcast nationally on PBS. Their YouTube Channel hosts hundreds of video shorts.
Tickets for the full day of Mexico y Tú programming are available here
Tickets for individual events are available here
—
Dave Millar
Development and Communications Director
Los Cenzontles Cultural Arts Academy 510-233-8015
