One Opportunity After Another
UNT talent works behind the camera on “One Battle After Another,” turning the spotlight toward El Paso.
In the years since graduating from the University of North Texas, David Velez (’19) has been able to utilize his talents in media arts across numerous avenues — working in news, freelancing and, along with two other UNT alums, co-founding Watchale, a Texas-based collective of Latino filmmakers telling authentic stories.
About two years ago, opportunity, skill set and drive perfectly aligned for Velez to work on what would become one of the most celebrated films of 2025, “One Battle After Another,” in his hometown of El Paso, Texas alongside some of his best friends.
“One Battle After Another,” follows an ex-revolutionary who is forced back into the life he left behind when he and his daughter become the targets of a high-ranking military officer. Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Benicio del Toro and Teyana Taylor lead the ensemble cast directed by celebrated auteur Paul Thomas Anderson. The film grossed over $200 million and earned 13 Academy Award nominations, winning six including best picture and best director.
“The opportunity to work on ‘One Battle After Another’ came to me in two ways,” Velez says. “The first was hearing about the project months before it was officially announced and trying to find my way onto it and the second came through my friends and fellow UNT alumni, Brandon Rivera and Jon Rafael Birondo.”
Velez met Rivera (’20) and Birondo (’19) while they were all students at UNT — studying for the same courses, working on student-produced film projects and honing their skills as filmmakers together.
“Going to school at UNT gave me access to find my people,” Velez says. “I have classmates I still work with today, and some of them have become some of my closest friends.”
Rivera and Birondo had worked on the critically acclaimed 2023 film, “Killers of the Flower Moon,” which was shot in Oklahoma with the same assistant director team that would go on to work on “One Battle After Another.”
“When the production planned to shoot in Texas, they reached back out to see if they could work as locals in El Paso,” Velez says. “Since I’m originally from El Paso and was able to help with housing, they recommended me. The team brought me on and my bilingual skills also helped strengthen my chances.”
While Velez primarily worked behind the camera, he can be seen onscreen during a pivotal sequence in the film, which he was unaware of until a private screening of the film a few months ahead of its wide release.
“I honestly had no clue how close that camera was. I didn’t even know I was in focus, let alone in frame,” Velez says. “If I’d known, I probably wouldn’t have smiled that hard that day.”
Working on “One Battle After Another” has been Velez’s favorite professional experience so far, having gained countless memories he’ll hold onto forever — from helping street-cast family friends for a scene to making the actor Jim Downey chuckle in an elevator, as well as working for the late producer Adam Somner on his final film.
“The most fulfilling moment was watching the film in El Paso, surrounded by a crowd of crew, extras and everyone who helped bring this massive spectacle to life,” Velez says. “It was a very special experience for the town.”
Velez was inspired by his time working with director Paul Thomas Anderson, whose other films include the acclaimed “Boogie Nights” and “There Will Be Blood.”
“Paul Thomas Anderson is tapped in. Seeing his process on set was beyond educational,” Velez says. “It genuinely inspired me, not just in how I want to make my own work, but in how I want to treat the people I work with. There was an ease, care and respect in the way he moved through the set, and that stayed with me.”
After production wrapped on “One Battle After Another,” Velez worked on another El Paso based production, “EP Project,” a 48-hour self-imposed film that utilized some of the same local talent involved in “One Battle After Another.”
More recently, Velez worked as a location scout on “Our Hero, Balthazar,” a project filmed in Denton and DFW that is set to premiere this spring.
“Keep an eye out for it. It’s a Texas movie,” he says. “It’s bold, it works and it was shot right there in town with UNT alumni on the crew as well.”