Born in Batavia (now Jakarta), Dutch East Indies, on 18 April 1918, Ismail received an elementary and junior high school education.
[2] However, Ismail soon became involved in the burgeoning film industry, being cast in a supporting role in Melati van Agam (1940).
[2] After the Indonesian National Revolution concluded in 1949, he returned to cinema, serving as editor on such films as Untuk Sang Merah Putih and Sedap Malam (both 1950).
He also became increasingly interested in film direction, serving as assistant director on PFN's Inspektur Rachman (1951) before making his directorial debut with Akibat (1951).
[3] As a director, Ismail touched upon a number of noteworthy and controversial topics; his Warok Singo Kobra (1982), for instance, features "obviously transgender gemblak".