Selena Quintanilla’s Family Explains Intention Behind New Documentary
Courtesy of Sundance Institute
Selena Quintanilla’s family and loved ones were present at the premiere of a new documentary about her life at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. The late Tejano music icon’s sister Suzette Quintanilla and her husband Chris Pérez got emotional while talking about the upcoming Selena y Los Dinos.
Among the films showing at the Sundance Film Festival this year are Selena y Los Dinos, a documentary helmed by Mexican-American director Isabel Castro with “never-before-seen footage” from the singer’s family. Selena’s sister Suzette and her husband Pérez watched the documentary’s premiere with fans in Salt Lake City, UT over the weekend. With Castro by their side, they shared a few words about Selena y Los Dinos. Suzette was overcome with emotion and had to gather herself before speaking.
“That was a lot of beauty and a lot of hard work that you guys were able to see,” she said. “Isabel took our life and put it into this amazing documentary. I’m extremely proud of my family. I’m forever grateful for my father for pushing us and for navigating us into this incredible life that we have. I’m also more grateful for all of you and all of Selena’s fans who continue to keep her here. I’m just very proud of Selena and what she represents as a woman and, more than ever right now, a Mexican-American.”
Pérez wiped away his tears before saying his piece about Selena y Los Dinos. While thanking the fans for “keeping [Selena’s] memory alive,” he admitted, “There’s a lot of beautiful stuff in there. There’s a lot of difficult things for us to kind of watch.” Coming on the heels of a docu-series that centered around Selena’s murderer and a 2022 AI-powered remix album, there’s been concerns about her legacy being exploited rather than celebrated.
During a Q&A with fans, Suzette opened up about the Quintanilla family’s intentions behind the documentary that is currently seeking distribution in the U.S.
“We wanted to leave a nugget of love for the future generation that’s coming up ’cause we realize now that we are 30 years without Selena, but her legacy is stronger than ever,” she said. “There’s a whole new generation that’s embracing Selena and our music.”