New documentaries about Selena and Johnny Canales, two icons in Tejano music and media, will headline the 2025 edition of CineFestival San Antonio, the nation's longest-running Latine film festival, returning to Alamo City from July 9-13.

The 46th CineFestival, organized by local nonprofit Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center, will offer a variety of feature, documentary, and short films at three venues around the Alamo City. Each showcases original, independent Chicano, Latine, and Native American movies that have a connection to San Antonio, Texas, or the border.

Selena y Los Dinos, an intimate look at the life and legacy of the late Selena Quintanilla, is arguably the biggest draw. The documentary includes never-before-seen footage provided by the Quintanilla family's personal archive.

Selena's siblings Suzette Quintanilla and AB Quintanilla III served as executive producers on the making of the film, which explores Selena's rise to Tejano music stardom and the enduring cultural impact of her life and music.

According to a news release, film director Isabel Castro and some cast members plan to attend the July 9 premiere at Jo Long Theater at the Carver Community Cultural Center. The documentary won awards at this year's Sundance and South by Southwest film festivals. It's set to debut on Netflix this winter.

"At CineFestival, we share the pride that Selena y Los Dinos brought to the Mexican American communities of Texas and beyond, and we celebrate director Isabel Castro's affectionate portrayal of an American icon and the family that rose to unprecedented success," CineFestival director Eugenio del Bosque says in a statement.

The other headlining documentary, Take It Away, traces the life and career of Johnny Canales, a Tejano singer and radio DJ who created The Johnny Canales Show, which was popular with audiences on both sides of the border from its inception in the mid-1980s through the 2000s.

The television variety show aired performances by countless musical acts, including those who would go on to find massive success, such as Ramon Ayala, La Mafia, Mazz, Los Tigres del Norte, and Intocable. Canales also hosted one of the first televised appearances by Selena and her band, later becoming instrumental in helping Selena land early concerts in Mexico.

The film's title is inspired by the phrase that Canales frequently used to introduce a musical act. Take It Away will get a red carpet debut on July 13 at the Jo Long Theater. Del Bosque says these two documentaries centered around Tejano music set the tone for a film festival that reflects the diversity of American culture and society.

"Family, immigration, citizenship, and civil rights are also strongly represented in the program, and women filmmakers dominate a large portion of this year's festival, including Tejana filmmakers and authors, a showcase of U.S. short films directed by women, and other national and international productions," he adds.

Here's a rundown of other films being screened at this year's CineFestival:

• Uvalde Mom — a documentary about Angeli Gomez, the mother who garnered national attention after she rushed into Robb Elementary School to save her two sons from a mass shooting that claimed 21 lives in 2022.
• Carnalismo — a feature about a Mexican family that revels in its love for cumbias and lowrider bikes and how those pastimes prove to be a refuge from social judgment and discrimination.
• Hola Frida — an animated feature that is inspired by the early life of artist Frida Kahlo.
• Prodigal Daughter — a documentary that follows director and former punk artist Mabel Valdiviezo as she reunites with her family in Peru after 16 years of silence.
• The Ladder — a science fiction feature about an aging fisherman who views a mysterious procedure as a fresh start in life.
• The Place In Between — a woman-led drama that uses dark humor to follow the reunion of a grieving mother and the daughter she gave up at birth.

This summer's CineFestival will also include the Mesquite Award nominees for Best Texas Short Film. According to the release, the 2025 nominees include 13 narrative films and three documentaries that share stories representing the contributions local and Texas filmmakers have made toward preserving and demonstrating the state's Latine culture and heritage.

CineFestival attendees can access Vistas de San Antonio, featuring films made in San Antonio, including the feature film My Rocking Chair and 17 short films. These works are created by renowned filmmakers, emerging talent, and film students based at four local colleges and universities.

The event's Texas Showcase will offer 15 short films that represent cinematic works made by established and upcoming creators currently working in Texas, including films from college film students statewide.

Additionally, CineFestival will screen several short films made by Latine filmmakers from all across the nation, including some award-winning works.

All access passes are $50, and individual movie screening tickets are available June 27. All screenings will take place at Santikos Mayan Palace, the Jo Long Theater, and the Little Carver Civic Center at the Carver Community Cultural Center.