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If you love movies, a famous annual film festival is only days away. CineFestival begins on July 9 and runs through July 13.
Producer Eugenio Del Bosque said it's both unique and important: “CineFestival is the longest running Latino Film Festival in the nation. We are launching our 46th edition this year. We're on the radar for both a lot of larger releases that are being produced in Texas, and also a great collection of short films of artists who are working both all over Texas and in San Antonio.”
The usual venue for CineFestival is the Guadalupe Theater, but the Guadalupe is still undergoing renovations. But producers have a backup plan.
“Our main venues are going to be the Carver Community Cultural Center, and we're actually utilizing the two theaters that they have there, the little Carver Civic Center, and we're also using their bigger theater, the Jo Long Theater. And then we also have a handful of movies showing at the Santikos Mayan Palace,” he said.
Del Bosque said they’re showing a total of 95 films, 11 of which are feature length. There are also shorts and animated films. But, he added, one of the films is a real standout, and one that South Texans have been waiting for.
“Selena Y Los Dinos, the documentary about Selena, directed by Isabel Castro that premiered at Sundance in January of this year — we are fortunate to have the film,” Del Bosque said.
Selena was the South Texas singer murdered in 1995 in Corpus Christi just as she’d crossed over from Tejano to the pop music world. Selena was largely credited with expanding the circle of people listening to Tejano music. She also had a successful clothing store.
“This is a documentary that is executive produced by Selena's siblings," Del Bosque explained. "And it contains archival footage from the Quintanilla family that Isabel Castro did a fantastic job in in putting together a documentary that really traces Selena trajectory and really the importance of her work.”
Two other films to watch for: Uvalde Mom, about the mother who climbed the fence at Robb Elementary to get her children out of school during the horrific shooting there, and a documentary on TV host and entertainer Johnny Canales.
Del Bosque said San Antonio and Texas are well-represented in the festival. He added that CineFestival has become a real stepping-stone for Texas filmmakers ready for a bigger spotlight.
