'Selena,' 'La Bamba' screenings kick off Hispanic Heritage Month at Jean Cocteau Cinema in Santa Fe

Sep. 6—Hispanic Heritage Month kicks off on Saturday, Sept. 15.

The Jean Cocteau Cinema in Santa Fe will screen some classic Hispanic films to celebrate.

It all kicks off with back-to-back to back biopics honoring two titans of Latin music history — "Selena" and "La Bamba."

Showtimes for "Selena" are 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 15; 3 and 9 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16 and 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 17.

In the biographical drama, Selena Quintanilla is born into a musical Mexican-American family in Texas. Her father, Abraham, realizes that his young daughter is talented and begins performing with her at small venues. She finds success and falls for her guitarist, Chris Perez, who draws the ire of her father. Seeking mainstream stardom, Selena begins recording an English-language album which, tragically, she would never complete. The film stars Jennifer Lopez, Jackie Guerra, Constance Marie, Alex Meneses, Jon Seda and Edward James Olmos.

According to the Jean Cocteau Cinema,

For the Sept. 15 screening, there will be performances by Scarlett Cortez, Elena Gonzales and Gigi Bella.

"We will also be in search of the best purple jumpsuits and bustiers in the land for our costume contest in honor of La Reina," the organizers released in a statement.

Showtimes for "La Bamba" are at 9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 15, 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16 and 7 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 17.

"La Bamba" tells the story of Los Angeles teenager Ritchie Valens, who becomes an overnight rock 'n' roll success in 1958, thanks to a love ballad called "Donna" that he wrote for his girlfriend. But as his star rises, Valens has conflicts with his jealous brother, Bob, and becomes haunted by a recurring nightmare of a plane crash just as he begins his first national tour alongside Buddy Holly.

The film stars Lou Diamond Phillips, Danielle von Zerneck, Elizabeth Peña, Rosanna DeSoto, Esai Morales and Joe Pantoliano.

The theater will also screen "Frida" on Sept. 22-24 and "In The Heights" on Sept. 23-24.

Tickets are available at jeancocteaucinema.com.