Isabel Castro’s “Selena y Los Dinos,” which won the Sundance Film Festival Documentary Special Jury Award for Archival Storytelling, has been removed from the festival’s streaming site after fans posted clips from the movie on TikTok and Instagram.
The organization sent an email out Friday afternoon, informing those who have access to the site that the movie is no longer available.
“We acknowledge and regret that this may cause disappointment, however part of our commitment to advocating for independent filmmakers is ensuring that they can protect their art that they have created and earn a living — now and in the future,” the email read. “We take copyright infringement extremely seriously and intend to fully cooperate with local, state and federal law enforcement.”
The Sundance program described the movie as following “Selena Quintanilla — the ‘Queen of Tejano Music’ — and her family band, Selena y Los Dinos, rose from performing at quinceañeras to selling out stadium tours. The celebration of her life and legacy is chronicled through never-before-seen footage from the family’s personal archive. The warmth of the home videos is like sitting with the Quintanillas and reliving their journey firsthand. Castro showcases Selena’s charisma and love of performing while giving her family space to celebrate their daughter, sister and wife. Whether a lifelong fan or just discovering Selena, Castro offers an intimate new lens to experience Selena’s legacy.”
Selena was obviously a cultural phenomenon, whose life was cut tragically short when her former manager shot her in 1995. The singer, on the cusp of a crossover breakthrough, was only 23. She has generations of fans, who eagerly look for any new piece of material from the felled star. Sending around clips from the documentary was probably inevitable, although it happening this early is notable.
The jury citation for the documentary read, “This award goes to a film that transported us to a specific time and place, evoking themes of family, heritage, love and adolescence. The power of the story speaks to the essential nature of the archive — employed in this film to chart the emergence of a once-in-a-generation talent.”
