A San Antonio native has debuted a new feature movie that puts the Alamo City and lots of local talent in front of the camera. Justin Rodriguez wrote and directed Only Here a Little Longer, a locally produced drama that premiered in late May at Brick at Blue Star Arts.

The movie explores themes of identity, sacrifice, and home as it follows a young man, 18-year-old Sam Palacios, who is preparing to ship out to Vietnam. Kruz Malonado, another San Antonio native who is now starring as Peter Pan on Broadway, leads the cast.

This is the fourth short movie that has been written and directed by Rodriguez through his film production company, Brave Pictures. Rodriguez developed an early love for cinema during a childhood filled with visiting the neighborhood video rental store and watching movies on HBO with his mother.

"They were films I didn't really understand, but I loved," Rodriguez says.

Still, music was Rodriguez's gateway into filmmaking.

"I loved making music in my teenage years, and I eventually married the two ideas together," he explains. "I started making scores for other people's projects, then I eventually had the bright idea of writing my own films. The rest was history."

The filmmaker's fascination with the late '60s inspired Only Here a Little Longer's exploration of the impact of the Vietnam War draft.

"That's the part of history that has always interested me the most growing up. I always paid attention to that part in any classroom, so it's a dream to create characters of that era," Rodriguez says.

All of Rodriguez's movies have been shot and produced in San Antonio. While Rodriguez paid out of pocket to fund his first film, 2018's Lush, he applied for and landed grants that helped to fund his three other movies. Only Here a Little Longer was made possible in part through support from a grant awarded by the San Antonio Department of Arts and Culture.

"I love shooting in San Antonio, and I always have," Rodriguez says. "It's filled with amazing locations. Also, there's an incredible amount of talent here, and the pride everyone brings to the set is unmatched. There's a growing film movement in San Antonio, and this cast and crew are proof of that."

Moviemaker Magazine has noticed San Antonio's cinematic appeal. The city earlier this year announced that San Antonio, for a seventh straight year, made the magazine's "Best Places to Live and Work as a Moviemaker" list.

As he sends off Only Here a Little Longer to the film festival circuit, Rodriguez said filmmaking, to him, remains hugely rewarding in different ways.

"Every single one of my projects, I am constantly learning more and more," he says. "Like a human on this earth, I will always be open to learning as I grow older and never think I have it all figured out. The same goes for filmmaking."

Film buffs can follow Brave Pictures' Instagram account for news of Only Here a Little Longer's release.