“Selena,” July 15

Wednesday, July 15, 6 p.m.

The Last Picture House, 325 East Second Street, Davenport IA

Presented as a special event in the Quad Cities Latino Cinema Series, the musical biography and Jennifer Lopez breakout Selena enjoys a July 15 screening at Davenport venue The Last Picture House, noted film critic James Bernardinelli praising the film for "conveying the boundless energy and enthusiasm that exemplified Selena."

A 1997 hit about Tejano music star Selena Quintanilla-Pérez, played in an astonishing breathrough performance by Jennifer Lopez. Selena was written and directed by Gregory Nava. The bio-musical chronicles the star's rise to fame and death when she was murdered by Yolanda Saldívar at the age of 23. In addition to Lopez, the film also stars Edward James Olmos, Jon Seda, Constance Marie, Jacob Vargas, Lupe Ontiveros, and Jackie Guerra in her film debut. For her portrayal, Jennifer Lopez received a Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical nomination at the 55th Golden Globes, and in 2021, Nava's feature was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."

Born Selena Quintanilla-Pérez in 1971, and a true force of nature until her tragic death in 1995, Selena was a singer, songwriter, spokesperson, businesswoman, model, actress, and fashion designer frequently referred to as the "Queen of Tejano music." Her contributions to the music and fashion industries made her one of the most celebrated Mexican-American entertainers of the late 20th century, and Billboard magazine named her the greatest female Latin artist of all time. She debuted on the music scene as a member of the band Selena y Los Dinos, which also included her elder siblings A.B. Quintanilla and Suzette Quintanilla. But Selena's popularity grew exponentially after she won the Tejano Music Award for Female Vocalist of The Year in 1987, which she wound up winning nine consecutive times. She signed with EMI Latin in 1989 and released her self-titled debut album the same year, while her brother became her principal music producer and songwriter.

In 1992, Selena released Entre a Mi Mundo, which peaked at number one on the U.S. Billboard Regional Mexican Albums chart for eight consecutive months. The album's commercial success led music critics to call it the "breakthrough" recording of her musical career, and one of its singles, "Como la Flor," became one of Selena's most popular signature songs. Released the following year, Live! won Best Mexican/American Album at the 1994 Grammy Awards, becoming the first recording by a female Tejano artist to do so. Later that year, she released Amor Prohibido, which became one of the best-selling Latin albums in the United States. The album was critically acclaimed as being responsible for Tejano music's first marketable era, the genre consequently becoming one of the most popular Latin-music subgenres of the period.

Two weeks after the artist's 1995 killing by former friend and manager Yolanda Saldivar, George W. Bush, governor of Texas at the time, declared April 16 as Selena Day in Texas. Her posthumous crossover album, 1995's Dreaming of You, debuted atop the Billboard 200, making Selena the first Latin artist to accomplish this feat. To date, Selena herself has sold around 30 million records worldwide, making her one of the best-selling female artists in Latin music.

With the feature co-presented by the Quad Cities Latino Cinema Series, Selena will be presented in Davenport on July 15 at 6 p.m., and more information on the night and tickets are available by visiting LastPictureHouse.com.