‘Selena’ Movie Producer Reveals Reasons Why He Made The Film

Moctesuma Esparza – a veteran filmmaker and activist – says that Latinos are “worse off in representation and employment in Hollywood than they were in 1950.” Esparza spoke out about this issue in an event that celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Selena film.

Esparza produced the beloved movie because of his daughter, Tonantzin, who is a devoted fan of the Tejano music Queen. She came to the conclusion that after the singer’s passing, it was her father’s responsibility to tell her story.

The filmmaker grew up in Boyle Heights, near Los Angeles. His modest, working-class family, migrated to the country in 1918. He was also one of the organizers of the 1968 East L.A. student walkouts that demanded equality and civil rights of Mexican Americans.

While a student at UCLA, Esparza won his first Emmy for a documentary thesis called Cinco Vidas/Five Lives. It explored the Chicano civil rights movement through individual portraits.

After that, he landed a great job at PBS, where he produced bilingual segments for a children’s program called Villa Alegre. Once he gained experience, he started his own production company named Esparza-Kats Productions, where he made his first feature film – The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez – starring Edward James Olmos.

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But when it was time to produce the “Selena” film, Esparza told the guests that he was hesitant about doing so at first.

“I was concerned that Hollywood was going to be interested in the tragedy, the murder,” he said. “And that they were going to want to do the story of the murder.”

His daughter, however, was not going to give up on her vision and convinced her father. She made him watch documentaries about Selena and forced him to listen to her music, which was when Esparza saw the potential of the story he would tell.

“I could see a movie about a family that was fighting for the American dream.”

Esparza had long talks with the singer’s father, Abraham Quintanilla, and finally convinced him of making the film. It would be about a Latino family, and about how much they loved and supported each other.

According to Esparza, this was the perfect way to pay homage to the singer, who ultimately was all about the family. She never cared too much about her personal success or fame.

The reason why the film resonated with people on such a human level was not because of the tragedy. It was due to the hopefulness of realizing your dreams hand-in-hand with those who support you.

When asked by an audience member if he would make any changes in the story, Esparza said, “The movie has remarkable power, fidelity, and the fact that we’re here twenty years later talking about it and people want to see it is a testament to its unique power.”

Article inspired by The Collegian // He’s the man behind the undying love for ‘Selena’