Los Lobos llega al Festival de Cine de Woods Hole para reflexionar sobre el pasado y el futuro con el documental 'Native Sons'.

      Piero F. Giunti was in a meeting with Los Lobos when he suddenly exclaimed, “What would it take to create a documentary?”

      "They replied, ‘I don’t know, pitch it,’” Giunti recounted. “I said, ‘I am.’”

      This led to the creation of Los Lobos: Native Sons, an engaging new documentary that was screened on Sunday at the beloved Woods Hole Film Festival. All five members of Los Lobos — the band that celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2023 — were present after performing a show in nearby Falls River, Massachusetts the night prior.

      Cesar Rosas, Conrad Lozano, David Hidalgo, Louie Pérez, and Steve Berlin enthusiastically responded to questions from Woods Hole fans, who honored them and the documentary with a standing ovation.

      After the screening of Los Lobos: Native Sons, directors Doug Blush, left, and Piero F. Giunti, right, joined Cesar Rosas, center. MovieMaker

      Giunti, an avid fan of Los Lobos and a photographer who captured the covers of two recent albums, co-directed the film with renowned documentarian Doug Blush. During their initial meeting about a potential collaboration, Blush demonstrated his fandom by recalling a specific detail about the track sequencing on the band's classic 1984 album How Will the Wolf Survive.

      “True fans know that there’s a song that comes right before ‘Will the Wolf Survive,’ and the label made them remove it to make two songs,” Giunti recalled. “As soon as he mentioned that, I thought, ‘Okay, you’re in.’”

      The documentary chronicles the band's journey from performing traditional Mexican music on instruments they salvaged to going electric and integrating into the L.A. punk and rockabilly scenes. With How Will the Wolf Survive, they shifted towards insightful, folk-influenced social commentary. They gained significant recognition through the soundtrack of the 1987 Ritchie Valens biopic La Bamba, which could have led them to a career as a nostalgia act.

      Instead, they made bold artistic decisions, such as producing an album of traditional Mexican folk songs and their unclassifiable masterpiece, 1992’s Kiko and the Lavender Moon. Throughout their career, they became versatile across many genres, attracting fans from Elvis Costello to Waylon Jennings to Tom Waits to the Wu-Tang Clan.

      As Woods Hole Film Festival founder and executive director Judy Laster stated on Sunday, they are “one of the baddest bands ever.”

      Los Lobos on 'Showing Who We Are'

      David Hidalgo, left, and Louie Pérez after the Woods Hole Film Festival screening of Los Lobos: Native Sons. MovieMaker

      The group emerged alongside the Chicano Civil Rights Movements of the 1970s. Although they have recorded songs addressing immigration and environmental protection, they never intended to be overtly political.

      “The Chicano movement encompassed everything from the arts to very serious political matters,” Rosas said. “Numerous Chicano, Mexican-American young muralists and artists were actively expressing themselves, and we took care of the music side.”

      Hidalgo elaborated: “When we entered the scene, we noticed that no one was highlighting the art or the beauty. That’s what motivated us: we could be political simply by showcasing who we are.”

      “Everything around us was typically status quo,” Pérez observed. “Our generation was one of the first to speak up and attempt to create change.”

      He pointed out that Chicano students were often directed toward manual labor and vocational classes.

      “And we rejected that,” he stated. “We spoke out. The band here grew out of that."

      He also shared reflections on the current global situation, emphasizing the band's ongoing popularity and relevance.

      “Here we are in 2026, and there’s still much more to accomplish,” Pérez remarked.

      The band occasionally grappled with their artistic direction, especially following the success of La Bamba. However, they consistently prioritized artistry over commercial gain. The documentary revisits some tough times early in their career and notes that some of their boldest projects, like Kiko and the Lavender Moon, were met with both confusion and admiration.

      Los Lobos didn’t pursue accolades; they reminisced about watching their first Grammy win on television in a New Orleans bar while on tour.

      They also maintained their humor. The band members chuckled that one of their proudest moments was appearing on Sesame Street. As devoted family men, they were excited that their children could see their performance alongside Elmo — which you can watch here:

      You can find more information about the Woods Hole Film Festival here, and additional festival coverage here.

      Main image: (L-R) Woods Hole Film Festival founder and executive director Judy Laster with members of Los Lobos — Cesar Rosas, Conrad Lozano, David Hidalgo, Louie Pérez, and Steve Berlin.