San Antonio filmmaker debuts feature-length documentary American Sons at SXSW

San Antonio filmmaker Andrew James Gonzales debuted his feature-length documentary American Sons on Saturday at Austin’s massive SXSW multimedia festival.

“We are the only feature from San Antonio in the Festival,” Gonzales recently told the Current about his debut at Austin Film Society’s AFS Cinema.

It’s fitting the only film from Military City, USA, would be about soldiers. The film follows a group of Marines a decade after their deployment to Afghanistan and focuses on their struggle to come to grips with the loss of their friend Corporal JV Villarreal.
“Through Villarreal’s haunting first-person video diary, audiences gain an intimate view of life on the front lines and the unbreakable bonds formed through sacrifice,” a press release from the filmmakers notes. “The film serves as a poignant exploration of resilience, grief, and the urgent need for mental health support among veterans.”

Gonzales wrote and produced American Sons with co-producer Laura Varela.

“This project is our commitment to breaking the stigma of mental health and fostering healing through community support for veterans,” Gonzales said in an emailed statement. “Through this story we mean to inspire meaningful conversations and amplify the voices of veterans being left behind.”

“We are deeply honored that Corporal JV Villarreal’s family and his fellow Marines have placed their trust in us to share their story,” Varela said in a statement. “It is both a privilege and a significant responsibility.”

American Sons is funded by Latino Public Broadcasting, Black Public Media via the Jacquie Jones Memorial Award, Bexar County and the City of San Antonio Department of Arts and Culture.

The trailer for American Sons is available on Vimeo.

Subscribe to SA Current newsletters.

Follow us: Apple News | Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter| Or sign up for our RSS Feed

Related Stories

San Antonio native Fidel Ruiz-Healy screening TV pilot Stars Diner at SXSW

The comedy takes place inside a greasy spoon just before a major disaster occurs.

San Antonio’s Latina Spring film series starts next week with screening of The In Between

Directed by Texan Robie Flores, the movie follows the return of a Latina filmmaker to her hometown after her brother’s death.

Texas is poised to become a film haven — but not without a fight

The Texas Senate has proposed injecting a staggering half a billion dollars into film production, as economists and fiscal hawks question the return on investment.

Austin’s SXSW festival experiences major leadership shakeup

High-profile departures include co-president Hugh Forrest after SXSW 2025 drew criticism for poor attendance and its subsequent reformatting.

This article appears in Mar 5-18, 2025.