The 27th annual Cine Las Americas International Film Festival took place in Austin from May 14 to 18, 2025, featuring five days of films, red-carpet events, and special screenings. The festival showcases storytelling rooted in the vibrant cultures of Latine/x, Indigenous, Latin American, and Ibero-American communities, offering features narratives, documentaries, shorts, music videos, and the Hecho en Tejas showcase of short films.
The Opening Night Film was Take It Away: The Rise and Fall of Tejano Hollywood at the AFS Cinema, and the evening began with a Red Carpet featuring filmmaker Adrian Alejandro Arredondo, co-writer and director of the documentary, as well as several of the individuals who were interviewed and featured in the film. Among the artists interviewed in the movie are Michael Salgado, Bobby Pulido, and Veronique Medrano. In attendance at the screening as an interviewed artist for the film was Stephanie Valenzuela from Austin, the 2024 Tejano Idol Top 5 winner of the Austin Tejano Music Coalition.
Synopsis of the film: The rise of Latin music is explored through the lens of the groundbreaking Johnny Canales Show. This pioneering television program showcased the genre and became a microcosm of the Latino experience in the America.
The vibrant and heartfelt documentary is about legendary Tejano television host Johnny Canales, whose charismatic platform helped launch the careers of countless artists, including Selena Quintanilla. The filmmaker Adrian Alejandro Arredondo stated the film is “music history in English and Spanish.” He said he was contacted about 5 years ago by Myrna Perez, co-writer and director; it turned into something real, and now it is premiering.
Councilmember Jose A. Velasquez attended the film festival and took the stage to present a proclamation from the City of Austin. His mother was also in attendance with him. He stated on his personal Facebook page post, “We had a great time enjoying the “Take It Away” Johnny Canales documentary.”
This quote was found on Facebook by festival attendee Jose Arredondo: “The documentary was incredible and honored Johnny Canales contributions to nuestra musica — nuestra cultura.”
As of now, I have not received word of additional screenings after the Austin premiere (perhaps in San Antonio) or the World Premiere at the Dallas International Film Festival (DIFF) in April. We will announce it when more information is available.
Source: Cine las Americas, Facebook/website, DIFF