Juan Gabriel and Anitta Documentaries Premiering this Year

Latin music artists who achieve worldwide fame are beloved and recognized for a certain image but now fans will get to see who the people are behind the iconic personas. The new Selena Quintanilla documentary, Selena y Los Dinos, directed by Mexican American director Isabel Castro, premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival on Jan. 25 and went on to win the award for U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Archival Storytelling. Now, Netflix has announced that an intimate new documentary about the life of legendary Mexican singer and songwriter Juan Gabriel and an upcoming personal documentary about Brazilian superstar Anitta will come out in 2025. On January 30, Netflix Latinoamérica released a teaser trailer for Juan Gabriel: la serie documental, which gives audiences an unprecedented glimpse into intimate moments from the iconic Divo de Juárez’ life. Through never-before-seen archival footage, personal recordings, and testimonies from his loved ones, the series aims to explore both the larger-than-life performer and Alberto Aguilera, the man behind the music. 

The teaser trailer shows Juan Gabriel in his private moments as a father and artist through snippets of personal videos with the iconic singer’s voice saying, “There was a lot of loneliness in me. And I made loneliness my friend. And then I started to sing.” Born on January 7, 1950 in Parácuaro, Mexico, Juan Gabriel is one of the most famous Mexican performers of all time and was well-known for breaking societal norms and standards in the Latin music industry with his flamboyant style. Throughout his 25-year career, he revived Mexican musical genres like corridos, baladas, boleros, and rancheras and went on to sell over 30 million records. 

As of now, Netflix has not announced a specific release date for the Juan Gabriel documentary, which will be directed by critically-acclaimed Mexican filmmaker María José Cuevas (Bellas de Noche). At a Netflix event, Cuevas explained that the documentary centers on a video archive recorded in the ‘70s by Juan Gabriel himself provided by the iconic superstar’s estate and his son, Iván Aguilera. 

“We are excited to collaborate with Netflix to release the story of my father’s personal life and musical career in this documentary with Maria Jose Cuevas and with Mezcla,” Aguilera said in a statement. “Bringing my father’s true story to the screen has been a project we have wanted to release for quite some time now. We are confident that with this team we have built, we can work closely together to bring his true story to life.” 

Netflix also released a trailer on Jan. 30 for Larissa: The Other Side of Anitta, which aims to show the multi-talented Brazilian superstar’s journey of self-discovery. Throughout the trailer, audiences can see Anitta, born Larissa de Macedo Machado, relaxing in intimate moments, performing in her native Brazil, and enjoying time with loved ones.

Directed by Brazilian director João Wainer and Pedro Cantelmo, the film is set to release sometime in 2025 but does not have an official date. In a statement, Anitta opened up about how balancing being her authentic self and managing her career as a huge star can be difficult and how she hopes this documentary can show her fans and audiences who she really is. 

Born in Rio de Janeiro on March 30, 1993, Anitta is one of Brazil’s most prominent artists. In 2020, her track “Me Gusta” cracked the Billboard Hot 100, followed by hits like her Peso Pluma collab “Bellakeo” and “Envolver,” and she has the more entries on the Billboard Hot 100 than any Brazilian female singer in history. She also made history in 2022 as the first Brazilian artist to win an MTV Video Music Award and in 2023 as the first Brazilian artist to be nominated at the Grammys in 50 years.

“This is the first time the public will get to see the Larissa that exists behind Anitta, without any filters,” she said in a statement. “I gave so much of myself for Anitta to exist. Moments of connection with myself became increasingly rare and brief. But this came at a high cost – physically and mentally. Over the nearly 15 years of my career, I dedicated myself to creating a strong, independent, and unbeatable persona. Now, it’s time to show Larissa intimately, through the lens of someone special who knew me before I even thought of becoming Anitta. The film is beautiful, emotional, and honest.”