Selena Returns to the Big Screen

Apr 6, 2024

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At AMC Theatres, we are proud to provide an opportunity to create a welcoming, diverse, and equitable environment. Our Council on the Latinx Experience is comprised of diverse leaders across different roles at our theatres and at the Theatre Support Center, providing leadership in raising awareness of a rich and diverse culture to create solutions and empower leaders seeking a career at AMC Theatres. As part of National Hispanic Heritage Month, our Council on the Latinx Experience shared their perspective on the selected films and their influence within their culture. “SELENA was a staple in my house and we would watch it all the time. This was the first piece of media I ever watched where I felt truly seen and represented as a young Mexican-American girl. Seeing Selena’s success in both Mexico and the US and how many people loved her made me feel like I could do anything.” Diane P. (Manager, Distribution)

Throughout her life, and even after, Selena Quintanilla Pérez, who released music under the name Selena, made a name for herself as one of the most popular and successful pop singers of her time, going as far as earning her the moniker the “Queen of Tejano music.” Prior to her March 1995 murder by her friend and fan club president, Yolanda Saldívar, Selena became an international sensation and trailblazer, introducing non-Hispanic audiences to the Tejano music style and culture. The story of Selena’s life, tragic death and legacy was given the big-screen treatment in SELENA, which featured an up-and-coming Jennifer Lopez in the lead role as the groundbreaking singer. Written and directed by Gregory Nava, the movie focused heavily not just on the success Selena found in the final years of her short life, but also her upbringing and the role her father, Abraham Quintanilla Jr. (Edward James Olmos), and mother, Marcella Quintanilla (Constance Marie), had in turning their children into talented musicians. From a stunning recreation of Selena’s famous, sold-out February 1995 concert at the Astrodome in Houston, Texas, to the young singer falling in love with guitarist and future husband, Chris Pérez (Jon Seda), the movie does an incredible job of telling both sides of her story. With a focus on the personal and professional lives of the talented and successful star, it’s no surprise SELENA has remained so popular 25 years post-release.

Selena Returns to the Big Screen

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