Selena (1997)

We're in the midst of July, the month in which Americans are supposed to be at their most patriotic! With barbecues, beach trips, and fireworks galore, this is the month where we celebrate our country. For Incluvie, that primarily means diving into the wonderful "melting pot" of the diversity of American film! In between celebrating and feasting, it's important to remember the very basis this country is founded on: "liberty and justice for all."

So, here are just a few films celebrating the lives and accomplishments of Americans of every race, gender, and ability.

Premise: This is the untold story of Katherine G. Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson—brilliant African American women at NASA working on the launch of astronaut John Glenn.

The story of Selena, possibly the most iconic Tejana singer in recent memory, returns to the screen—but this time a much smaller one with Selena: the Series. This biographical drama series details Selena Quintanilla’s incredible life as a Tejana music star before her tragic murder in 1995. The series aimed to, as said by one of the directors (Hiromi Kamata), “refresh people’s memory and introduce her to new generations in a very powerful format, which is the series, gives you the freedom and time to really develop a character and develop a dramatic arc throughout the story.” Unfortunately, I feel this series under-delivers this goal.