Los Tejanos: A 500-Year History Earns Four Festival Honors in 2026!

"...an accurate, precedent-setting cinematic history that people will see, feel, and remember."

—Manuel F. Medrano, Professor Emeritus, History

University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

TEXAS PREMIERE of Los Tejanos: A 500-Year History this Saturday at 2PM at CineFestival San Antonio. Tickets are available here.

Important Films Media is proud to announce that its feature documentary Los Tejanos: A 500-Year History has so far earned four festival honors in 2026: Official Selection at the Cannes Arts Festival, Finalist Documentary at the Mexican American Film and Television Festival (MAFTF), Official Selection at the 47th CineFestival San Antonio, and Official Selection at the South Texas International Film Festival (STXIFF).

Directed by Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Joseph C. Stillman, produced by Jeri Wachter, and executive produced by Richard Stillman, Los Tejanos: A 500-Year History is a sweeping, 122 minutes journey that begins in 1528, when Spanish explorers first encountered the Indigenous peoples of South Texas, and continues through the generations that helped shape the cultural, economic, and civic identity of Texas itself. More than a historical account, the film is a powerful recounting of the perseverance, sacrifice, family, faith, and the enduring contributions of Mexican Americans whose stories have too often remained absent from the broader historical narrative. Developed in close collaboration with La Santa Cruz de la Concepción Tejano (SCCT) in Concepción, Texas, the film draws on oral histories, archival research, and the voices of historians, educators, artists, ranchers, musicians, and community leaders across South Texas.