You don't have to go to Hollywood to get started in the movie business. That's what three talented UTSA students, former and current, proved with the screening of the film "Garrison."

     "Garrison" is an independent film written and directed by Kerry Valderrama, a former UTSA student who served in the military. A screening of the film was held on Nov. 9 at the Bijou Theater for over 100 viewers.

     The film was inspired by the 2002 Fort Bragg killings of four soldiers' wives within six weeks at their return from Afghanistan.

     Valderrama also stars in "Garrison" as Sergeant Daniel McManus, a team leader sent to find fellow soldier Nathaniel Cross (James Barnes), who has gone AWOL.

     Valderrama started acting at the age of 12. His father was in the military and the family traveled frequently. When he was 19, Valderrama also joined the military and was stationed in Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

     At the end of his service, Valderrama was taking night classes and noticed a flyer calling for auditions. He remembered how much he had enjoyed acting in the past.

     "The light went right back on," Valderrama said. "'That's right, I used to do this.' It had been so long. The military really takes hold. It's really a lifestyle more so than a job."

     He eventually signed with a talent agency in New York but moved to San Antonio, as a graduate student, to study international relations at UTSA.

     All the while, Valderrama had been working on another project.

     "I'd been writing a script ever since I got out of Afghanistan about the Fort Bragg killings and my memoirs," Valderrama said.

     After receiving support from friends in San Antonio's film community as well as from producer Aaron Marquette in Dallas, Valderrama decided to withdraw from his studies and pursue his dream of bringing "Garrison" to the big screen. The movie filmed entirely in San Antonio, started shooting in July and finished in just three weeks.

     Also starring in "Garrison" is 2006 UTSA alumna Elizabeth Ingalls, who plays Andrea McManus, the wife of Valderrama's character. Ingalls, a French major, co-produced the film. An actress and model, Ingalls' upcoming projects include a fashion spread in SA Woman Magazine and a role as a featured extra in a high-profile movie, tentatively titled "Stop-Loss" and directed by Kimberly Pierce ('Boys Don't Cry').

     "I would love to be a working actor in 10 years. I would love to just be able to be an actor and have people calling me to do different jobs," Ingalls said.

     But she has many other goals, including producing, directing and getting involved in the business components of the entertainment industry.

     Jesse Kaminski, who will graduate in December, also starred in the film and was the production designer. This was her first experience working on a movie.

      For students who would like to work on a film but feel they are unprepared, Kaminski suggests getting involved.

     "Don't be intimidated by lack of experience or lack of training. If you want to work in film, just go for it," Kaminski said.

     "Garrison" delivers drama, humor and plot twists. But most notably, the film exposes facets of the military experience that often go unexplored, introducing new realms within the military, including the introspective side of soldiers. The exploration of deeper dialogue is insightful and rings true.

    "People don't think that soldiers have these [serious] conversations. They call us grunts in the infantry, you know, that we just grunt our way through life because we're always carrying something. But it's not true," Valderrama said.

    "There's a lot of political insight with [soldiers'] feelings, and I really wanted to [show that in some scenes], but I really wanted to make it entertaining as well."

     Valderrama hopes "Garrison" can make it to the big screen, even if on a smaller scale. For now, the film is being submitted for consideration to some of the major film festivals around the world.

     His next project will be to star in the movie titled "Judgment of Weeping Mary" by first-time director Andrew Wilson. It will also be filmed in San Antonio.

     "I believe in promoting independent films here in San Antonio," Valderrama said.

    For more information on "Garrison," visit the movie's website: www.garrisonthemovie.com.

Contact A&E