It’s been 22 years since audiences across the U.S. first saw Gregory Nava’s Selena, a biopic on the life of the Tejano music superstar whose life was cut short at the age of 23. Since then she’s received tributes throughout her hometown of Texas and nearly every musician since has honored her. Now, you can see the movie that gave audiences’ their biggest awareness of Selena in a proper restoration on the big screen.
This weekend, the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) will screen a new digital print of the theatrical version of the movie. The film was previously released on a tenth anniversary DVD via Warner Home Video back in 2007 that contained the theatrical edition plus Nava’s director’s cut which included ten minutes of additional scenes. The film has yet to have a Blu-ray pressing.
Selena went on to spend fifteen weeks at the box office in 1997, a rarity for films directed and starring Latinos. It was the breakout performance from lead actress Jennifer Lopez, who is making waves this year, as both the Superbowl halftime performer for 2020 and a possible Oscar nominee for the stripper drama Hustlers.
There is an entire generation of Latinas who grew up with this movie, being inspired to learn more about Chicana history, listen to Selena’s music and recreate her outfits. If you haven’t seen it on the big screen and are out in New York this weekend now is the perfect time to see Lopez’s dynamic performance. Now if we can just convince Warner Home Video to bring this to Blu-ray like it deserves.
Selena screens at BAM on October 4 – 10, 2019.